When Worlds Collide
by Fir3Storm12
Summary: She was just a regular waitress who didn't believe in the paranormal or the things that go bump in the night. But she soon learns there's more to this existence then she first thought when she meets the strange man who lives across from her and he unintentionally drags her into a world where everything is out to get her and all she can do is trust him and run.-Vampire au -ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**_*Author's Note:_** **Ok** **so I know this isn't the best but I tried, and this is just a quick introduction to the story so it's not everything. It does get better eventually. This is the second main story I've done on here (still working on the other one as well) and I hope I can stick to it. I know this idea has probably been done to death, but I wanted to give it a shot. So enjoy!**

* * *

The song that burst from the speakers of the small, countertop stereo wasn't enough to drown out the sound of the rain beating down on the roof of the cafe. It flooded the window panes and trickled through the small crack in the door, leaving a slowly growing pool on the floor that would come back every single time it was cleared away. That was the current task of a very frustrated looking blonde waitress as she huffed once more, glaring at the mop she held in her hands. This was the third time today she'd had to do this, the wet floor sign seemed to be of no use as customers had slipped both on their way in and their way out. Thankfully none of them had fallen yet, but several had threatened to boycott the place if the 'little shack of misery' (or so it had been called by others) wasn't repaired soon. But people had been saying that for years and Starry Heavens was still scraping by. Well, just about anyway.

They'd never had much luck with the place. Money was low, customer numbers were slowly dwindling and to top it all off, the place was situated in a sort of bad part of Magnolia. But she loved working there for some reason. She knew all the names of the regular customers that visited, some of her closest friends worked alongside her and in all honesty, she enjoyed the peace that sometimes descended over the room when she was on a shift. This, however was not one of those moments, as the buzzing of the ceiling lights above suddenly became more apparent. Her eye was beginning to develop a twitch as the light flickered when a fly knocked into it. Thankfully, the voice of one of the radio presenters sounded over the speakers and she turned it up to block out the unbearable silence.

 _'And in other news, there were more reports last night of a woman who was rushed into emergency care after she was found in Magnolia central park suffering from severe blood loss. Police have been unable to identify the victim as of yet, but she is now in intensive care after also suffering severe head and neck injuries. It is believed that this was the work of the recently nicknamed 'Magnolia Vampire', after a man died from similar injuries last month and annother woman was left seriously injured . Any witnesses who may have seen something have been asked to come forward with any information that may be relevant to the case.'_

"Magnolian Vampire? Couldn't have thought of a better name could they?" The blonde turns to see her orange haired coworker leaning on the other side of the counter she was now stood behind. He held an equally bored expression on his face, only this was accompanied by a loud yawn, "That's what, like the seventh case this year?"

"Yep. And they're all believed to be by this 'Vampire' character."

 _'We spoke to Police Chief Gildarts Clive, who only had this to say to the public, "We understand the growing concern behind these attacks but I can assure you that we are doing everything within our power to catch them. Whoever he or she is, we will bring them to justice eventually. I urge citizens to be wary however. If you find yourself out alone at night, don't become isolated. Find the nearest, safest place possible where there is someone else with you and ensure that all doors and windows of your homes are locked at night. We can never be too careful. Until this criminal is caught, the police force will not rest."'_

The orange haired man snorted at that, earning a glare from the waitress, "What?"

"Loke, they're really trying you know."

"Maybe they were in the beginning, but the longer this goes on, the less chance they have of catching whoever it is. It's like they're a modern day Jack the Ripper but only one of their victims has died so far."

"I'm not having this conversation with you again." The blonde sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Anyway, I need you to try and fix the door. It's starting to flood again." She gestured to the small trickle of water that was seeping through the cloth that had been jammed in the small hole. Loke groaned, clearly annoyed by the idea of it, but obeyed her nonetheless, "You know Lucy, you can be worse than Aquarious sometimes. And she's the actual boss of this place!"

 _"_ One of them, Leo. One of them." Came the voice of a short pink haired lady as she exited the kitchen, apron in hand, and slumped on a stool at the counter. Lucy eyed her curioualy as she rubbed her eyes before looking up, "What a night. Sorry for leaving you out here alone, Princess." She wasn't really all that fussed. Save for the odd request from one of the few people who had came in after the lunch rush, Lucy hadn't been all that busy when it came to customers. She was more occupied with making sure the cafe didn't collapse around her when she was working. "It's fine Virgo, besides I haven't been that busy anyway. There's no one here-"

"Except for the the people that just left, the two people in that booth there and the hooded guy in the corner." Loke interrupted from the floor as he knelt by the door, "Actually, scratch that. The two in the booth are leaving so just the guy in the corner." Both women's heads turn to find that there was indeed a figure wearing an all black hoodie sat in the darkest corner of the cafe, just staring out of the window. What was so interesting was a mystery, considering nothing could be seen out there due the missing moon in the sky and the rain beating at the earth. So unless they were watching the water droplets race down the glass, there was really nothing to see, "We close up in five minutes, someone should go tell them." Both their eyes turned to Lucy with almost pleading looks. She rolled her own at them, "Of course you mean me." Before sighing and reluctantly walking over to the stranger's table.

"Excuse me but we're closing up now so I'm going to have to ask you to leave." They didn't even turn to look at her and she felt the last bit of patience she had left slip away. She hated rude customers, but the fact that this person hadn't even acknowledged she was there was just pure ignorance, "I said-"

"I heard ya." They mumbled and got up from their seat without another word and brushed past her to get to the door. She felt a sudden shiver run through her, as if someone had poured ice down her back. They kept their head down so she couldn't see who they were but to be honest, she didn't think she wanted to. It was late and she didn't want to be bothering with any creepy wierdos for any longer than she had to. Finally, the three were left alone as the person left, nearly hitting Loke with the door in the process. "How rude! Honestly, could they not see I was down there?"

"Why don't you go after them and ask? I'm _sure_ they didn't mean it."

"Your sass," He glared at Virgo, "Is not required."

"Neither is your complaining." Lucy shot back at them both, "Now both of you be quiet. I would like to leave without a headache tonight, if that's not too much to ask."

"Sorry Lucy/Princess." They both spoke in unison and Lucy couldn't help but chuckle. She sighed as she hung her apron up and replaced it with her coat and bag. Oh her bed was only a short ten minute walk away, she could finally rest after she locked up. "Hey Virgo, your lift's here." She gestured to the cab she just barely saw park outside Starry Heavens and sound it's horn. The woman nodded and said a quick goodbye to her co-workers as she left. "So is Aries picking you up tonight?"

"Yeah. She's running a little late but she'll be here any minu-" A horn from outside cut him off, "Well speak of the devil."

"She's too sweet to be a devil, which begs the question as to why she puts up with you and the others sometimes."

"Watch it," He chuckles, "Do you need a lift?"

Lucy thought about it momentarily, but they weren't even driving in the direction of her apartment so she didn't want to trouble them, "As much as the idea of walking in the rain sucks, I think I'll be fine. But thanks for the offer. Say hi to her for me."

"Will do." He waves as he leaves. Lucy sighs, now completely alone. The key to lock up is buried deep in her pocket and she tries to dig it out before setting foot in the miserable downpour outside. The radio was still playing in the background as she went to leave, hearing the last report surprised her. She'd forgotten it was there.

 _'Remember folks, if you're walking alone tonight then stay in the light. Be seen. Be safe. You never know what creatures of the night are lurking in the shadows.'_

Such a reassuring message to leave on, she thought as she finally stopped it and flipped a light switch before leaving, plunging the small space into darkness. The idea of walking alone, especially at night, had never appealed to her but really, what's the worst that could happen? The shutters came rolling down to cover the black void the cafe interior had become encased in. Rain drops slithered down the grooves in the metal as she she turned on her heel and began the short trek to her apartment. Maybe she should've accepted that lift, save her from being soaked to the bone when she got home. Well, it was too late now.

The other small businesses around her were also closing up for the night, before any of the late night partiers and drinkers came out to play and laid waste to them. A few small off licenses were still open, their lights blaring onto the street. Other than that and the odd flickering street light, the rest of the road was completely bare. A regular site after one of her late shifts. She was used to it, all of it. The sound of moving cans across the dark alleyways because of the wind, flickering lights that only showed someone else on the sidewalk as they were passing you, shadows that seemed to follow you no matter how far you went. Yeah, she was almost used to it all. She was never a paranoid person, but honestly she was always so relieved to see the gleaming lights of her apartment building as she came to the end of her journey. It always made her feel safer somehow.

And when the door finally closed behind her, the shadows are blocked out for the night. She wasn't scared of the dark, but the news lately had put everyone a little on edge to know someone so vicious was lurking in the city, preying on innocent townsfolk for God knows why. But whoever it was, they were only human like everyone else in this town. It wouldn't be long before they slipped up and the law finally caught up to them.

The elevator finally opened, after waiting five minutes for them, and someone quickly exited, briefly pausing to hold the doors open for her. She didn't get a chance to thank them as they sped away. "Must be in a hurry." Lucy mumbled, pressing the button for the seventh floor and feeling the metal box slowly being dragged up to her stop. It was agonisingly slow, almost mocking her need for sleep. But you couldn't blame her, she was up before dawn that day, tossing and turning for no reason she could remember. Her exhaustion only seemed to increase with each step after it finally stopped and she made her way to the little place she called home. The key turned in the lock, clicking sounds followed before she could finally push oopen the door and sigh as she entered her own space, leaving the night behind as she locked it all away until the morning. She just hoped she could sleep tonight, otheriwse she'd be even more exhausted in the morning and maybe her mind would start playing tricks on her to the point where these supposed 'creatures of the night' actually became real to her. "You read to many stories Lucy. Just sleep and everything will be fine in the morning." She yawned as she finally prepared to settl down for the night. The rain pelting her window and the howling wind wouldn't be enough to deter her from sleep. The darkness was welcome to test her. She was too tired to care.


	2. Dreaming Of A Nightmare

_"Just trust me, ok?" The words fell on deaf ears as the pain wracking her body slowly began to numb her muscles. Her tears pooled in the corner of her eyes and clouded her vision meaning she was barely able to make out his figure crouched down in front of her, hand outstretched in her direction. Looking up, she searched for the usual warmth in his eyes when he looked down at her. However instead, she found almost anger and pity in his once dancing irises. But they still housed concern hidden behind the gathering fury. It was almost as if he was suppressing it, hiding it even. "Lucy..."_

 _"Ok. I trust you." Her voice was almost a whisper as she reached out and grasped his hand, feeling herself being pulled from the ground. She found his eyes glaring down at her once more from behind his mask. That was all she ever saw, his eyes. Nothing else. She had no idea what he looked like or why he was so important to her, but he was. "Just don't let go." And with that he took off running, still holding onto her. She had no idea where they were or where he was taking her, but all she could do was trust him._

It was the same dream every night and it always ended the same way, with her being dragged away by some masked stranger and the last thing she remembers before waking up is staring at their back. Sometimes it didn't make sense. Why her? Why that one specific dream? What was so important about it that her mind couldn't think of anything else during the night? It was beginning to keep her up at night and she lost sleep because of it, so she was just thankful that she didn't have to work today. "I don't understand it, Virgo, it's the same thing every night. And the weird thing is, I don't even remember how it started!" She exclaims to the pinkette whilst they lounge outside a small restaurant in town. Lucy had been dragged out of bed this morning by her friend so she could go out and 'take a break' from everything. "Well, I don't know. Maybe it's because of stress."

"Stress?"

"Yes, you've been very stressed lately. What with your father's sudden death and then all the extra hours you've been putting in at work. Not to mention-"

"Alright, I get it. But still I don't think stress is the reason."

"Could be. It could be your minds way of escaping from everything and letting you relax."

"That dream is anything but _relaxing_! For starters, there's a complete stranger in it who I don't even know if they exist or not." Although, something did seem vaguely familiar about them. But what? She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but that was an issue for later. They were probably just someone she had seen around town or some place else. It wasn't important, but she really felt like she recognised the fictional person from somewhere. "Maybe it could be trying to tell you something?" The quiet voice of their other female friend came as she pulled up a chair to join them, "Or it could just be a randomly generated dream."

"I don't know. Maybe...But thanks for trying to help anyway." Lucy sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. The feeling of the warm liquid slipping down her throat momentarily overpowered the cold bite of the autumn air at her skin. She shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her frame as the soothing warmth subsided with a particularly large breeze that picked up the gathering river of leaves from the road and carelessly threw them around. A few of them escaped the attack and landed safely on the sidewalk until the next time they would be lifted up from their places. One blew over to the three women and ended up stuck to the pole of the umbrella that stood over them. Virgo picked it off with a slightly disgusted look on her face and threw it on the ground. "What did that poor leaf ever do to you?" Aries giggled, earning a small glare from the woman in question. Lucy watched them from the corner of her eye, taking another sip from her drink to get the brief feeling of warmth back. She sighed as another cool breeze blew past the three women, making her shiver.

"Why are we eating outside?" She moaned, almost concerned as to what their reasoning would be, "It's the middle of autumn, nearly winter, and it's freezing!"

"The better question is, why didn't you stop us?"

"I..well...damn it." Lucy huffed, earning a laugh from her companions, "I didn't even want to come out today."

"We didn't mean to drag you out Lucy." Aries piped up, albeit shyly, "Sorry."

She sighed and smiled slightly, "No, no, it's fine. It's just...I don't know. I just haven't been feeling right lately." The two other women exchanged confused glances but didn't push the issue any further, "But enough about that. What's this I hear about a Halloween party?" Lucy raises an eyebrow questioningly at her companions, who momentarily seemed to freeze in their spaces. She'd found out a while ago and was waiting how long it would take for them to crack, they never could keep secrets from her for long. A few moments of them obviously struggling for a response ensued before Lucy finally saw the looks of defeat cross over their faces and she internally jumped in victory. And as they delved into their explanation of what they had planned, she enjoyed the feeling of the warm cup in her hands as it slowly shielded her fingers from the weather's bite. However, the feeling of someone's eyes on their table, a feeling she'd had for a while now, never left and it lingered as if it was waiting for the others to notice. She played it off as her imagination playing tricks on her, but it still freaked her out.

* * *

The blonde sighed as she unlocked the wooden door to her apartment. A sudden downpour of rain had cut her meeting with her two female friends short and all three had fled to the safety of their own homes. Aries had insisted on giving Lucy a lift to save her from being soaked in the torrential downpour. She was at least grateful that she ended up being somewhat dry upon her arrival, she still got caught in it when leaving the car. That'll teach her to bring an umbrella on days like this. Actually any day for that matter. "Mamma always said you could never be too prepared." She mused as she was finally greeted with the usual appearance of her living room. The weather outside the open curtains cast a miserable greyish tone over the room and Lucy had to swallow the sound of disgust in her throat as she closed them. Everything was plunged into almost darkness for a few moments before she found her light switch and the old light bulb in the ceiling flickered to life, revealing the small pile of letters that had been pushed under her door some time before she came back. Lucy picked them up mindlessly and placed them on the coffee table in front of her couch as she sat down, wanting to relax a but before having to deal with them. Lately she'd just been so tired and she couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because she wasn't sleeping right, or maybe it was all the nights shifts she'd taken lately. Or maybe the stress of life was finally catching up to her and making her feel like she wasn't twenty three years old and she'd wasted her life.

That last one almost seemed partially true but she ignored it as she turned on the TV and curled up underneath the blanket that hung over the back of the couch. She yawned as the screen played some random programme she payed little to no attention to before the new came on. Lucy was just going to leave it on as background noise and maybe catch up on some writing before she noticed a the image of the diner her, Virgo and Aries had been at earlier on her screen with a reporter in front of it.

 _'-police are saying the victim was found battered and bloody in the woman's bathroom but there were no signs of a struggle. Witnesses report that nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the woman as she entered the restroom, however no one can recall seeing her leave or seeing anyone go in before or after her. It is unsure at this moment exactly how she was attacked, but we have been told she was suffering from severe blood loss upon her discovery. We can only hope that her injuries were not severe and that she will recover in the future. Until then, we'll keep you updated.'_

She froze for a moment, they'd only been there a few hours beforehand. What if that was one of them? She chalked it all up to coincidence and decided that was enough for today. Maybe a shower would help her calm down, and walm up after suffering with that horrible wind. The letters on the table were left discarded for her to sort through later, a task she was not looking forward to, however she noticed an unfamiliar name on the top. "Oh come on. Really? Every time." She mutters, picking it up and placing it on the bookshelf by the door. It looks like she'd be making a trip across the hall again, but that could wait. She was allowed to relax for now. Her neighbour would have to wait.


	3. Meet The Neighbours

**Hi. Sorry for not updating for a while but I had writer's block for this story, which is disappointing because I'm enjoying it. Anyway, this is doing way better than I expected and you're all amazing. And to the reviewers, I have continued! Thankyou for your feedback. Enjoy!**

* * *

The letter lay discarded under a pile of junk for about a week before Lucy found it again and even then she'd only discovered it during her daily morning rush to get to work. After her alarm yet again failed to wake her up on time, Lucy found she had half an hour less than usual to get herself ready. She's honestly quite proud of what she was able to accomplish in her small time frame; a shower, her coffee and somehow managing to find her uniform all before finally making it out the door. It was only when she was half way to the elevator did she realise that she'd left her bag behind and frantically rushed back to her apartment, nearly knocking down a confused bluenette who was taking a call in the hallway. Lucy didn't notice as she dug her keys out of pocket and pushed her way into her apartment again.

Thankfully, her purse was still on her desk where she'd left the previous night. The stack of papers lying miserably underneath it only reminded her of her as of yet unfulfilled dream of being a writer. Oh how she could dream.

The paper dropped to the floor when she snatched the handles away and she could almost see her willpower to get through today going with it. Her eyes latched onto the envelope and she caught it as it fell, quickly stuffing into her bag with the intention of delivering it when she wasn't so busy, before finally being ready to start her day and all but running back to the elevator. The doors had nearly closed before she practically beat the button in order to get in, once again frightening the same bluenette who was unfortunately her companion as the metal box descended agonisingly slowly to the lobby.

Lucy can't remember the last time she saw someone rush away from her as quick as that blue haired woman had. But she couldn't blame her, nearly being run down twice by the same psychotic woman within the space of about ten minutes was enough to give anyone a bad start to their day. What might have been slightly more concerning however, was seeing the rain hitting the sidewalk when she got to the main doors and realised she'd also left her umbrella upstairs. Lucy had to swallow the frustrated groan rising in her throat and decided she'd already wasted enough times so she would just have to grin and bare it. Hey, maybe her day might turn into one of those cheesy romantic comedies and she'd meet her true love in the rain.

Yeah...sometimes her imagination even worried herself.

* * *

"What happened to you?!" Was the delightful question her oh so dear friend Loke exclaimed when Lucy finally stumbled through the doors of her workplace that morning. He could've just pretended to have not noticed her running makeup, sticking clothes and wet mop of hair but _nnnoooo!_ She really didn't want to start her shift by slapping her colleague but it was quickly looking like that was exactly what was going to happen. "Good morning to you to, you jerk." She growled under her breath as she peeled her jacket from her skin.

"Love you to Lucy!" Eventhough she had her back to him, she could _feel_ the smirk thrown in her direction. "Leo, I swear to God-"

"Yeah yeah, you're having a bad day, leave you alone etc. etc. I know the drill." He sighed, nearly falling when the broom he was leaning on slipped out of his grip. Lucy grinned internally at karma coming back to bite him. "Quiet you idiots! The news is on!" One of their other co-workers that day yelled at them as she turned the radio up. Honestly, Lucy didn't know what the big deal was. It would be the same story that it had been for weeks and nothing much will have changed. She could understand that people were worried and rightfully so, but listening to the media's constant broadcasting of it would only make them more nervous.

 _'And boy do we have a story to accompany that dreary rain today.'_

These news reporters always seemed way too happy to be reporting what most thought to be a dangerous murderer. But then again, it was what got them payed so they were probably just happy that more people tuned in for that very reason. More listeners means more money lining their pockets. Greedy little-

 _"In what was thought to be an attempted attack at Magnolia harbour last night, police have acquired what they believe to be the first real image of the Magnolia Vampire. Or should I say Vampires, as it is believed to show two suspects."_

 _"Two suspects?"_

 _"Yes, two suspects. At least that's what local authorities believe can be seen in the photo that a worker on the nightshift last night was able to snap after hearing what sounded like a fight going on in one of the boats."_

Ok...So she was wrong. That was different, but it was probably just a hoax. This had been going on for months now and they had only just found something? Please, it's as fake as someone claiming to have seen the likes of Father Christmas or the Easter Bunny or whatever.

 _"The photo has quickly circulated throughout town over night and appears to clearly show two, albeit shadowed and slightly blurred, figures fleeing across the tops of the boats as they made their escape. Although it can still not be determined what they look like, the witness claims that both were male and somewhere in their late teens perhaps early twenties."_

That could be any number of people in the city. Magnolia was a large place and for all they know, there could be others with the duo. They were still no closer to determining just who was behind all of this and they probably never would be. Lucy was so caught up in listening to the report that she had forgotten she was pouring out a customer's coffee and only remembered when it began flowing onto the table.

"Ffff- sorry!" She had to professional around customers and not give her boss another reason to want to fire her, "I-I'll clean it up." The deathly glare from the customer almost scared her until she realised they couldn't get her when she was behind the counter. Although, she didn't fancy being the reason the cafe was sued so she had to give them their order free (their idea, not hers) to keep their mouth shut. Oh Aquarius was so going to have her for this!

* * *

She could feel her rage that day finally reaching it's boiling point as she eyed the hooded figure at the other end of the cafe. Her eye was developing a twitch and the rge in her hands was twisted beyond what she thought to be possibly as she realised they couldn't close up (again) because they wouldn't leave (again). Twice! Twice she'd told them and they still hadn't gone. Why did they always wait until the very last minute to go? That's not an exaggeration, this person, rain or shine, always leaves roughly two to three minutes beforehand. It had gotten beyond infuriating at this point.

"Want me to talk to them this time? They seem to like annoying you." Loke's chuckle at the end of that didn't go unnoticed. The blonde kicked the mop out from under him and the look of betrayal on his face almost made her smirk. "There's no reason to be like that."

"Just get over there!"

"Alright, alright! Geez woman." Well, he was useful for something. Lucy didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. Why was she so tired lately? Maybe she should see a doctor, but that would have to wait for now. She could hear her apartment calling her from a few streets over and she was tempted to make a run for it now. But she had to be professional, at least until she was out of this place, which might not be much longer as she witnessed the hooded figure abruptly leave before Loke even had the chance to say anything to them. The man was left glaring at the back of their head when the cafe door slammed shut, but not before allowing the still pouring rain outside into the warm, cosy space.

"Well there's no need for that attitude."

"Oh don't be such a baby Loke." Lucy bit back her laughter.

"You wouldn't be so mean to everyone else if they were here!"

"You wanna bet?"

Loke pouted at the blonde's challenging glare before grumbling something under his breath. Lucy's victorious smirk did not go unnoticed by him and she didn't try to hide it either. It was such a shame Virgo wasn't here to share in her victory. Oh well, she'd have to make do for now. There was no one else outside of her work colleagues that she could think of who she actually spent time with, but this was nice nonetheless. "So what d'you think's up with that guy anyway?" The question was asked as she was slipping on her jacket, "Here every day, no matter what, almost like they're waiting for something."

"You're just paranoid." Lucy rolled her eyes, "And you've put way too much thought into this."

"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it. I mean, what kind of-"

"Loke," Lucy snapped, turning on her heel, "I'm tired, ok? Can we just have this conversation later?"

"Whatever Lucy. Virgo's picking me up tonight, says I have to make you let her take you back to your apartment even if I have to drag you." As he said this, Lucy opened the door to see the pinkette waiting outside in her car. She could walk. It wouldn't take too long and honestly she didn't want to have to put up with both of her friends bickering across the seats. But then again...she'd already had to push through the torrential rain once today. Maybe she could cave just this once and accept their offer. "Princess, I know what you're thinking and the answer's no. It's dangerous to be walking by yourself, especially at night, with those criminals on the loose." The blonde sighed. She understood her friends' concern but she didn't need it. Besides, what were the odds she would get attacked out of everybody else in this town. She was 'Lucky Lucy Heartfilia', nothing ever happened to her. Still, she didn't want to fight them and reluctantly slid into the passenger seat next to Virgo, despite Loke's protests and grumbles as he was assigned the back.

Taking the car was probably her best option, it meant she was only slightly soaked because she had to still walk through it to get into the building. It was during this time she decided to invest in a hooded jacket instead of this pathetic excuse of a coat she had now. Oh well, still better than nothing. She barely acknowledged the crowd of oddly dressed people gathering in the lobby and even then it didn't register in her mind until much later as being something that was odd. However by that time, they had cleared and since no body brought it up afterwards she assumed it was some kind of private social gathering. It was a rare occurrence in the small building but not entirely unheard of so it didn't really seem as being something out of the ordinary.

There was no awkward elevator encounter this time as she ascended to her floor and , much to her relief and probably everyone else's, she didn't nearly run someone down as she made her way to her apartment. In fact, everywhere apart from the lobby seemed practically dead. It wasn't even too late into the night (well, for her anyway), but she supposed everyone else was just busy. That just made fishing her keys out of her little handbag in the silent hallway a tad bit more creepier.

She pulled them out of her bag and with them they brought a piece of paper that tumbled to the floor. Picking it up, she realised it was the envelope from this morning and groaned realising that she still had yet to give it to it's intended party. Thankfully for her though, she didn't have far to go and only had to turn on her heel and take a few steps to the door behind her. Simple.

Apparently not as she tripped over her own heel and ended up falling forwards. She was able to catch herslef on the wall before she fell completey, although her neighbour had apparently heard. The door swung open before her knuckles had even tapped the wood and she was greeted with what most people would deem an unusual or sometimes rather unsettling sight. However, living here for a few years now, she (like most others in the building) was used to her neighbour across the hall and his weird habit. That didn't make the fact that the man was half naked in front of her any better. "Gray," she began, "I think I got your mail again." The blonde handed the envelope over. This wasn't an unusual occurrence and seemed to have increased since Gray's mysterious new roommate moved in only a few months ago.

"Thanks Lucy. I keep telling the idiot to get this fixed," He gestured to the letter after reading the name on the front, "But he still hasn't done it. Been here 4 months and still nothing."

"Don't worry about it. Say hi for me, 'kay?"

"Sure sure, whatever. See ya Lucy." Gray closed the door before she could say anything else. She still hadn't even seen the other inhabitant of the apartment yet, which you would think to be odd considering they live across from each other, but there was no point dwelling on it when she didn't even speak to her neighbours all that much, Gray being the rare exception to this. So she didn't really think much more of the issue as she shrugged and slipped back into her own home for the night, with the full intention of not leaving until morning. What went on behind the other closed doors in the building was none of her business.

* * *

"Who was at the door?" The roommate in question called as he entered from the kitchen. Gray sighed as he turned to face the man's questioning look with a glare. It didn't seem to faze his companion in the slightest. If he went out every once in a while he would know who it was, but instead the idiot just stayed cooped up in here all day. Most people were starting to doubt he even existed at this point and that Gray's complaints about his slobbish behaviour were just fake. He was beginning to wish they were at this point, "The neighbour, brought this for you." Gray threw the envelope in his direction and the man dived forward to catch it before carefully ripping it open. The only thought that crossed Gray's mind was asking what it could've possibly contained to strike such a focused look (a rare sight) on his roommates face.

Oh well, he'd find out eventually right?

* * *

 **Yeah, again sorry the updates are so far apart. I had major writer's block, still do, but this is doing better than I expected and people seem to be enjoying it.**

 **So, there have been developments in this chapter. Don't worry, it will get better soon but for now I think you've got some things to satisfy you all. Who is the roommate (you all know but just for fun)?  
Who are the two 'suspects' mentioned?  
Does the hooded figure have any actual importance?**

 **And, we were introduced to Gray this chapter. He does have importance later but for now he's quite minor. What do you think his role will be?**

 **I'm glad everyone's enjoying this and I hope I can get the next parts out quicker! Have fun for now.**


	4. Natsu

**So, decided I'm going to try and update this as regularly as I can to stop myself from going on a hiatus again. Anyway, here we go. But first of all, addressing the reviews:**

 **JustSomething: So, you'd be right in assuming the roommate is Natsu, considering he's obviously a major part of the story. But I'm afraid he's not the hooded figure. Nice guess though! And there will be more action in future chapters so hopefully you enjoy.**

 **Reignashii: There's more! Glad you seem to be enjoying the few chapters so far, so here you go.**

* * *

"Look, I just need _someone_ down to check this out by three. Is that too much to ask?" It seems Lucy asking to relax is like asking a fish to walk, it wasn't going to happen. At least not for a long time anyway. Years and years and- you get the point. In fact, she sometimes missed her old life in Crocus. At least there the pipes in her bathroom didn't make a sound that sounded as if they would burst any second. She really didn't think she could afford it. Not now. Not with everything going on anyway. And she really didn't need the extra stress of her apartment collapsing all around her. It was just too much to handle.

 _Squeeeeeeeeaak_

The pipes made another, higher pitched scream (it was more of a groaning but in Lucy's mind it was a scream) and she huddled further into the wall, half expecting them to end up poking through the wall plaster and start spitting water everywhere, probably drowning every piece of carpet, furniture and Lucy with it. "Please?! Is there anything you can do? Anything at all?" The noise had been around for a couple of weeks now, being barely noticeable in the beginning, but it had gradually gotten worseover time. She was so worried one day she'd nearly be crushed by something falling from the ceiling or the walls or wherever else. This place was an accident wating to happen and she would be the victim.

 _Crrreeeeeakkk_

"Eep!" Lucy whimpered when the groans came from the ceiling above her. The concerned voice of her landlord's assisstan came over the phone's speaker, to which Lucy felt incredibly guilty for practically screaming at her in response. The woman passed it off to her fear but that didn't make Lucy feel any better. _"Alright Miss Heartfilia, I'll see if she can get someone out soon. We can't have our most dependable resident scared of her own home now can we?"_ Their chuckle at the other end wasn't reassuring at all. But hey, at least something might go right for once. The sooner these pipes were fixed the sooner she could live in her apartment without fear. She had a few hours to wait before the repairman showed up though, that was even if they did, so she had to find some way to kill time.

 _This is the perfect time to work on that novel you keep "forgetting" about!_ "Oh shush you. No one asked for your input." Yes she was talking to herself, or rather the voice in the back of her head. It was a habit she'd developed as a child and something that just stuck. Obviously it was only when she was alone and it wasn't very often, but it could still be worrying if anyine heard her. Good thing she lived alone!

Actually, that might be a bad thing. Oh well.

Now, she couldn't start her novel without first brewing herself a fresh pot of coffee even if it was only to get her through the rest of the day. Not only had the pipes kept her up all night, she'd also had _that_ dream again. This time though it was different. Instead of being outside, surrounding by flaming orange sky and burning trees, with the wind biting at her skin and fiery fury raining down from the Heavens, she was in her own apartment. In the dark, cowering underneath her desk:

 _She was silent, daring not even breath for fear they would find her. Her whimpers were muffled as she hid her head behind her knees. Nature howling outside also helped to hide her, though she somehow doubted it would do much good. The rain was pouring in from the hole in her window and creating a small river that trickled down the wall, behind the desk and slithered down her arm. She had to bite her fist to not scream out when she heard her front door open, slamming against the wall. It was soo hard that plaster crumbled off the wall into a miserable heap on the floor._

 _"Lucy! Oh Lucy, come out now. I ain't gonna hurt ya." Wicked, twisted, vicious, that was how she would descibe her invader's voice. The sickly pleasant smile she could hear in their words suggested they took pleasure in doing this. How many had she told herself she would be safe in this city? Looks like it's coming back to bite her. The tears fell before she even realised and stained her skin._

 _Oh how she wished there was some kind of light so she could at least see what they looked like before she was caught. There was no way she could run, not while they were blocking the door, but a part of her hoped that someone would come bursting through the door and save her. Maybe she was finally out of luck. Lucky Lucy Heartfilia wsn't so lucky anymore._

 _"Come on now little lady. Don't make this any harder on yourself. Don't want to get hurt now do we?" His tone became even more sinister with every word he spat. She bit her lip as he turned and slowly walked towards her desk. When he stopped, and his boots were clearly visible even in the deep void of her living room, she knew it was over. A hand suddenly strangled her ankle as she felt herself being dragged from her sanctuary, a blood curdling scream ripping from her throat._

Lucy had woken in a cold sweat at that point and hadn't been able to get back to sleep. She had tried, desperately in fact, but it was no use. There was no point in trying anymore when she saw her clock strike six and she decided enough was enough. So as she began searching her cupboards for even the slightest crumb of the divine caffeine product, she frowned upon the memory. Aquarius, her boss, had given her a dream catcher upon learning of her problems but it had only seemed to make her dreams worse. Oh well, Lucy appreciates the effort.

To her dismay, she found that she was all out of the beverage she so desperately craved and so that meant a trip to the store was in order. The weather was beginning to become the type that painfully stabs at your skin the longer you're out there, meaning she obviously didn't want to be out there too long. Was the coffee really worth it though? I mean, she could just go another day. Apparently, the house wanted her out more than she thought when the pipes once again cried out dangerously above her. "Alright alright, I'm going! But you better be in one piece when I get back!" She yelled to no one in particular before grabbing her jacket to leave.

* * *

"What're you chuckling at?" Gray peered over at his companion as he looked up from his phone. The man seemed didn't even look over at him, choosing instead to continue finding amusement in whatever it was he had originally. "The pipes."

"The pipes?"

"Yeah, you can hear them across the hall. Neighbour don' seem too pleased though."

Gray raised an eyebrow. His roommates astounding senses never failed to amze him. "Whatever you say, idiot."

"Oh yeah, says the guy who always has the air con on full whack! In the middle of autumn!" This time he rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the man in question. _What a weirdo._

* * *

Lucy sighed as she finally re-entered the building half an hour later. The frost and ice had gradually built up on her shoulders in the short time she'd been out but at least she had procured her chosen beverage at last. All that was left to do was go up to her apartment and- oh. Right. The pipes. The thought of trying to fill the kettle and having to listen to that infernal rattling almost out her off the idea but she decided she could live with it for now. It would all be worth it again when she was sat cosily at her desk again.

The elevator doors had never looked more appealing as she made her way over to them but stopped before she could press the button. It seems her neighbour had gone out some point after her. How did she know? Well, he'd left something behind in the lobby.

She looked at the discarded white fabric in disdain, realising just what that meant. Somewhere out there, wandering there public streets, her neighbour was without his shirt. Again! So nothing had changed there then, but she would have hoped that with the cold weather rolling in he would have at least have gathered some control over his odd habit. Was it too much to ask from him? Apparently so considering she'd found his shirt draped over a plant pot in the lobby. How no one had noticed it until now was beyond her.

Oh well. It couldn't hurt to drop it off for when he gets back. Although, that didn't stop her grumbling all the way to the elevator and jabbing the button every five seconds until it came down to her level. God it was slow. And old. Those two adjectives seemed to describe this place perfectly.

Lucy stood in a huff every second she was in the metal deathtrap, all the way up to the seventh floor that housed her apartment. Why her? Why this ancient excuse of a building? Why Magnolia? Sometimes she wonders what life would have been like if she just stayed in Crocus. Maybe it would be a bit more exciting there, at least there wasn't a dangerous criminal on the loose. At least there she had somewhat of a decent social life. Her only friends now were her colleagues at Starry Heavens and even then most of them lived in the city, not on the outskirts like her. Sometimes she just felt so lonely, and today was a perfect example of that. So for now, she would just have to wait until the day she either dies alone or finds that special person. Just waiting...

And waiting...

And waiting...

Or she could just give up. But Lucy Heartfilia doesn't give up very easily.

She was a stubborn, caring and independent woman...who just happened to dream about becoming a successful writer yet was working as a waitress in a failing cafe. But that was just a minor set back. Right?

When she finally realised that the elevator had stopped, she was already half way down the hallway. The thin fabric of the shirt was still clutched tightly in her left hand but it took her a minute to remember why until she spotted the unmistakable oak wood of her apartment door. Being the only one of a chocolate hue and with an identifiable scratch running from the top right hand corner to centre left, it easily stood out. And right across from it was a simple, pale pine door upon which she rapped her knuckles three times.

There had been some obvious shuffling about going on in the apartment before she had knocked but that all ceased when whoever it was heard her calling from the other side. Strange. If Gray's gone then...A small crash came from the room followed by some rather colourful, albeit muffled, curses that made Lucy snort in amusement before the door opened just enough to allow a single crack of light out of it.

"Can I help you?" The voice was a new one and so she guessed this was the roommate. Though this was definitely not how she pictured their first meeting, and she certainly hadn't imagined the sharp tone they held to their words. This didn't really fit the picture of the man Gray had complained about so many times to practically everyone in the building about. No joke, there wasn't a week that went by that he didn't threaten to file something new against him, or Lucy heard one of their regular arguments. "I said, can I help you?" Their tone was a bit more impatient, which made her wonder how long she'd zoned out for.

"I'm...err...returning this." Lucy gestured to the shirt, to which the other person must have seen for the next question they asked was, "What makes you think it goes here?"

The blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Oh please, who else in this building has an uncontrollable habit of stripping at the most inappropriate of times?"

"...Fair point."

An awkward silence fell over them for a while, "So..."

"What?"

"You gonna take it or not?"

"What- oh!" The door suddenly slammed rather abruptly in Lucy's face, which in itself was a shock, and she heard the chain on the other side sliding out of it's holder. Curious, Lucy was left simply waiting outside. Moments passed and still nothing before it suddenly swung open again, once again surprising the woman in front of it. In it's place stood someone who looked to be the complete opposite of the other man she usually spoke to. Naturally tanend skin and deep onyx eyes immediately set him apart from the paler complexion of his roommate, as well as the fact he was still fully clothed. In fact, maybe a bit too much considering the scaled scarf wrapped tightly around his neck as if it would suddenly fly off any second. The most unusual thing about this new person though was the brightly coloured excuse for hair that they possessed. Sure, she'd seen pinkettes before, Aries and Virgo being prime examples, but seriously? Surely she should have noticed him by now then, what with the easily distinguishable feature as well as living across from her for months now!

Come on Lucy, pay more attention to these things!

"Say... what's your name again?" Oh that's right, she was speaking with a complete stranger whom she is only seeing for the first time. Of course she'd forgotten to say her name. Anyone would think the way she was brought up was a lie. "Lucy. I live across the hall."

"Oh, yeah! Your the one who's always complain'n about us!" The embarrassment was clear on her face. It wasn't so much them she complained about, it was the noise. But maybe she had been a bit too hard on them..."Anyway, nice talkin' to ya Luigi!" He made to close the door, a brighter tone to his voice, but was stopped by Lucy purposely jamming her foot in it. _Ow, ow. Bad idea!_ "What did you call me?" She hissed through gritted teeth, masking her pain through her anger. Luigi? She literally just told this guy her name. Was he really that much of an idiot? "You heard me, Luigi." The pompous expression he held was enough to tip her over the edge.

Ok! Now she knew he was joking around but she still wanted to punch him square in the jaw!

"Who the hell do you think you are? My name is LUCY! L-U-C-Y!" She stomped her foot for extra measure but honestly, it made her look like a small child who wasn't getting what they wanted.

"Aw, cute." Now he was mocking her, "Blondie's throwin' a tantrum. What's wrong? Daddy not here you to stand up for you?"

How dare he! Sure, the guy didn't know anything about her but he shouldn't say that."You son of a b-"

"Hey, hey hey! Language!" He snapped, as if he hadn't just been a complete jerk towards her, "Sorry, that was probably a bit too far. I've actually heard somethings about you floating around this place." The pinkette rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before holding out his hand for her to take, "Start over?" She glared at him but there was somethin that stopped her from saying no. Taking his hand, she realised it was a lot colder than she was expecting. Maybe too cold. But that was probably because she could feel the cold air of the apartment (the door was still sltightly open) slipping into the hallway. That was probably the reason.

"So, it's nice to finally meet you Miss _Lucy,_ " He smiled as he finally said her correct name. Lucy was still on high alert around this guy. He was so...weird.

"You to err..." Crap, what was his name? Did he ever tell her? Apparently not as realisation dawned on him.

"Oh yeah! Knew I was forgetting something. My name's Natsu, I'm your neighbour!

* * *

 **Surprise! Nah, you knew it was coming sooner or later. Right, I promise from now on it might possibly get a bit more interesting now that Natsu's been introduced. I'm not giving up on this! There are actually people who seem to be reading this and so I hope you're all enjoying it. If you seemed confused about some aspects now, I promise everything will make sense eventually. I've got it all planned out. Actually, that's a lie. I have mot of it planned out, but that's my fault for changing some parts around.**

 **Anyway...Thoughts on this chapter? The interesting stuff and the action will come later because I do actually have to build up to it, but we're getting there. Slowly but surely. Hope you're all enjoying this, thanks to those who are reviewing this and to everyone for reading and I will see you next chapter!**


	5. Home Invasion

**Hi! I know this latest chapter took a while and it's not as great as my other ones but I've been so busy this kinda fell to the bottom of my priority list...again. But I didn't take over two months this time so that's an improvement! It's just been one of those times where I couldn't deal with the extra stress. This was actually meant to be out yesterday but I realised I hadn't actually written the ending up entirely so sorry if it's a little rush. Also, this one is just a little insight into their "friendship" because I honestly couldn't think of what else to put.**

 **JustSomething: You're welcome. Don't know about the romance yet but I think I might try and add a bit in as everything progresses. And a little forewarning, I am terrible at humour when I actually try to be funny but I gave it my best shot!**

 **Grandeeney Marvell: Honestly don't what I expected from that last review. Kidding, kidding. Glad you like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

It has only been a few weeks since Lucy experienced her first meeting with her eccentric pink haired neighbour and in the space of the first week, her life had swiftly been turned upside down. Somehow, for reasons she was still no closer to figuring out, she was seeing him everywhere now when before hand, she'd never seen him at all. Now it was like the universe was constantly trying to torture her.

Coming in from a long day at work, he's at the main desk, leaning over the wooden barrier and chatting away at the person behind it. Taking her laundry down to the wash room, he's there at one of the machines and always greets her. He's always just leaving his home on a night when she's returning. It doesn't matter where she went lately, he always seemed to be there or something that vaguely resembled him was anyway. It was beginning to freak her out.

Today wasn't any different and quite frankly, she couldn't be bothered with it.

"What, are you doing in my house?!" The twitch that had developed in her eye was becoming quite a noticeable feature on her face these days. Anyone would think she had a problem. Actually, she technically did and it was sat on her couch like a cat refusing to move. He looked so smug as that signature smirk made itself known. "Hey Luce! Was wondering when you'd get back." Her annoyance only grew with his obvious avoidance of her question. How did he even get in here anyway? The only door into the place was locked and he couldn't possibly have scaled the building up to one of the windows. Lucy lived on the seventh floor. Though there was a fire exit a few metres from her front window. He couldn't possibly have reached that. Right?

"Natsu" Lucy hissed, her fingers tightening around the plastic carrier bag in her hand, "I asked you, what are you doing in my house?"

"Ain't it obvious? I was waiting for you to get back." The slight pink dusting her cheeks would have been obvious had she not had her coat pulled up right to them, with a thick red scarf and hat to top it off. She was determined to not catch a cold this year, right before Christmas as well! "That's not a good enough reason." Lucy mumbled, sliding over to her dining table and dumping her stuff on it. Despite the warmth it provided, it was a relief to feel the abnormally thick, silky fabric of her coat slip off her arms and feel like a weight being lifted. Her arms finally felt free and she sighed in content. With the run up to Christmas getting nearer and nearer and the impending doom that was sure to come from the mad dash to snatch last minute gifts looming right around the corner, Lucy didn't have long left to go out without risk of being trampled by the large, frantic mob. A shudder ran up her spine just thinking about it. Thank God she didn't have to worry about that for now.

No, now she had other problems to deal with. One of them just so happened to have somehow found a way to invade both her home and her life in the loud, fiery way only he could pull off with absolute confidence. It had only been a few weeks but Lucy had already learned everything she needed to know about Natsu Dracion.

"Alright," Lucy turned and leaned on her table, "What's the real reason you're here?" Her arms were crossed defiantly across her chest. She was determined to get the truth this time.

Natsu's smile dropped suddenly and he looked down with a pout, sheepishly rubbing his neck, "Ice Freak kicked me out for the day. Told me I need to get out more."

"...I don't think my apartment counts as 'getting out more'." She deadpans. There was a part of her that wanted to slap him whilst the other part was telling her to just ignore him. The last one seemed like the better option considering she didn't want to cause a scene by kicking him out again. The first time she'd done it was only a few days after they'd met. He struck up a conversation with her and ended up invited himself in before Lucy threw him out the door five minutes later.

The last time it happened, she'd ended up throwing him out and almost sent him into the same woman she'd nearly trampled in the elevator as she was walking down the hallway. Lucy was convinced that the woman now thought she [Lucy] was trying to kill her. Honestly, she couldn't blame her.

"Eh, it's good enough." Natsu shrugged as he made himself more comfortable on her couch, much to the blonde's annoyance, "Besides, you seem lonely. Could do with the company." Eventhough his words held some degree of truth to them, Lucy would never tell him that. It was none of his business. None of her life was no matter what he might think, and it never would be either.

A yawn broke through her lips when she made to tidy away her things. It was then that she realised just how sleep deprived she really was that day. She hadn't had one of her dreams in a while but she could never be sure when one would come about, but last night she had such a terrible ache in her head that all she wanted to do was shut everything out until it was gone. It wasn't uncommon for her to be sick fairly often, in fact it was unfortunately a trait she had shared with her mother, but lately it had been so bad a part of her feared it was maybe the end for her.

Thankfully, her friends had convinced her otherwise but she still knew that something wasn't right. "You tired?"

"Oh how did you guess? Was it the yawn or the exhausted look in my eyes?"

"Geez Luigi, no need to be so sarcastic."

Lucy bit her cheek. He only did it to annoy her and she knew that but the urge to fight back was almost impossible to ignore. _No Lucy! Do not stoop to his level of stupidity._ Whatever voice was in the back of her head was thankfully reasonable. Fighting back would just be stooping to his level and no matter how much she wanted to, she wasn't going to do that. She'd just have to suck it up and live with it for now. So she sighed, rolled her eyes and turned her back to him.

Sure, Lucy could just kick him out but she decided that any company was better than being alone. It was a welcome change, even if _he_ wasn't the type of person she would normally associate with. She wouldn't call him a friend but at least she had somelne new to talk to every now and then. "How long have you been waiting?" Lucy mumbled, realising the TV was playing softly in the background, "And..did you tidy up?" Her apartent was certainly not in the same condition she'd left it in. Usually, especially where her neighbour was concerned, that would be a bad thing but it just looked so much cleaner. It was almost too good to be true. Lucy's eyes narrowed, "Did you raid my kitchen again?"

"W-what? No! Of course not!"

"Natsu..." Lucy hissed.

"Alright, alright. Fine, I was hoping you wouldn't notice." The blonde rolled her eyes. Where did he put it all? She'd never met someone who ate as much as her pink haired companion and she was quite thankful for that. "So how did y-"

"Hold that thought Luce," Natsu interrupted her when his phone began to ring. Whoever the person was on the other end must have been pretty important as he was out of the door before she could ask what was wrong. He was gone for about five minutes and Lucy was so tempted to eavesdrop on the conversation. She didn't, it wouldn't be right, but still her curiosity had been peaked.

When he came back in, he looked rather stressed about something but she didn't want to pry. It would be very hypocritical of her to complain about him invading her private life and then expect him to be fine when she did the same thing. "I've gotta go." Was the only thing he said before ripping his jacket from the clothing peg near the door, "See ya Luce." And gone, leaving a bewildered Lucy behind.

* * *

Hours later, having finally fixed the wreck that her kitchen had been in, Lucy could be found curled up cosly under a blanket on her couch. With hot chocolate in hand and no plans on leaving her apartment any time soon, the wintery world outside had been locked away for another day.

 _"And Jack Frost has been busy tonight. With temperatures set to be at the lowest they have been in recent years, we're expecting impressive levels of snow and ice in the coming weeks. So be prepared, wrap up warm and remember to stay safe."_

Her friends at Starry Heavens had been worried about her lately. It wasn't just the fact she wasn't getting enough sleep or her eerie dreams that kept her up at night, they were more concerned for her safety rather than anything else.

 _"With the number of female victims of Magnolia's newest criminal having rapidly increased in the past few days, authorities have warned everyone to be extremely cautious when out and about."_

She wasn't worried. No, of course she wasn't. They were all just paranoid. Lucy had survived six years being on her own, she didn't need them worrying about her when they had their own lives to be getting on with. Besides, she could handle herself and all the attacks were happening in the city, not on the outskirts. As far as she was concerned, she was safe.

 _"And now for sports."_

A knock at her door startled Lucy from her rather comfortable, curled up position. Her hot chocolate had tipped over the edge of her mug and soaked the edge of the cushion she was sat on, much to her annoyance, but instead of clleaning it properly, she just wiped it off with the corner of her blanket. It would be getting washed anyway so it didn't matter.

The knocking sounded again and she was just going to ignore them but this time it sounded more desperate. "It's open Natsu!" In her mind, it couldn't be anyone else considering he was the only person who visited her save for the odd time her colleagues came over or her landlady decided to rant at her. But the door didn't open like she'd expected. It was still sealed shut and she wasn't sure if the person behind it was still there or not.

"I said it's open!" Lucy yelled again though this time a bit more cautiously. When no reply came this time, she made to get up from her seat. Her umbrella was hung beside her door so she grabbed that before twisting the handle down. "One..." Lucy regretted not installing one of those peep holes on her door, "Two..." But honestly, who would be calling at her home this late at night? "Three!" Lucy swung the door open and, "Who- huh?"

Nothing.

A brief instance of fear washed over her before she heard childish laughter from the end of the hall and the face of one of the building's children poked their head around the wall. What was her name again? Araya? Anya? No, no that's not right. Asuka! That was it.

Thankfully, Lucy knew her parents (sort of) so she'd just bring it with them later. Still, that didn't make it any less creepy though. "What are you doing down here this late at night kid?" The small child's eyes widened and she disappeared completely behind the wall. Lucy would have chased after her had she not heard the worried voice of who she assumed to be her mother a few minutes later coming from the same direction. People should really take better care of their children around here!

The umbrella was still clutched tightly in her hand and to anyone else who might have seen her, she looked pretty ridiculous. _So much for not being paranoid._ She rolled her eyes at her inner self and shut the door again, locking it this time. If anyone else decided to test her patience tonight, no matter who they were, she was not giving into them again unless they want to face her wrath.

Or her umbrella. Whichever worked for her.

* * *

 **See? Not my best but I tried. I'm thinking, depending on how I end this or how well it turns out, I might do a sequel if I can write this in the direction I want it to go. But that's only an if. I still have to write the rest of this up yet. Oh well. That's a problem for another day. I guess I'll see you all next chapter!**


	6. The Christmas Chapter

**Jingle bells, jingle bells, guess who's back again? Me! Merry Christmas everyone! (Or Happy Holidays to everyone else!) I bring to you the Christmas chapter. Now this is just a filler chapter because I wanted to write it for Christmas and it does not really have a lot to do with the build up that has been given. But it does give more insight into Lucy's life so...there's that. I tried to make it a tiny bit comical but I have been told by several friends of mine that my sense of humour is _so_ bad that they've wanted to punch me so you have been warned. This is kind of all over the place at the moment but it'll tidy up and become clearer in the future. I promise! **

**I'm making a lot of promises lately, wonder if I can stick to them all...Right, review time and then story!**

 **JustSomething: Every. Single. Chapter. Seriously dude, thanks! You'll have to wait just a little bit longer for that action though but it's coming. I just have to tie up a few loose ends and it'll be up. There's a lot that I've planned to include next year so hopefully it'll become a bit more interesting.**

 **An Amber Pen: You asked and you received! I know it's not much but there should be more coming next month, and it will get better. I promise! Hope you'll stick around until then.**

 **TabbyCat: Well there's more of that to come! I'm not really one for all the cutesy stuff irl but strangely enough, it fits the story so far and my writing style. So enjoy!**

* * *

"How about this one?"

"Too flashy."

"Ok then. This one?"

"Those lights are a fire hazard. Who had the bright idea to put them in a jumper?"

"Don't be such a Scrooge, Princess. It's Christmas!"

"Doesn't mean I want to be a wearing a cringey jumper for the rest of the week."

An annual tradition in her workplace was to dress all festive in the last week before Christmas. The lights went up on the first day of December and a mini tree had taken pride of place in the centre of the cafe's main wall, decorated with glittering red and gold tinsel and the biggest star that would fit on top of the old bending branches. The tree had been out every year since the opening of the cafe, even in the years before it had gone downhill, and that could clearly be determined from it's worn down appearance. But it was one of the oldest and most loved artefacts that they had the pleasure of owning and they were determined to keep it until the very end. After all, who knows how many more years they'd get to drag Lucy Christmas jumper shopping.

"Should've invited your new friend today."

"Uggh not this again." Lucy rested her head against one of the shelving units, glaring at Virgo through the bangs that had fallen over her eyes, "I knew I shouldn't have told Loke about him. Never could keep his mouth shut."

"Actually..."

"What?"

"Taurus might've mentioned something-"

"Of course he did." The blonde groaned, attracting the attention of other passing customers. She wondered why she trusted them with anything. It wasn't really a secret, but she knew that if a certain someone found out than she would never hear the end of it. Every guy she ever spoke to, Loke and Virgo made it their personal mission to make her life absolute hell. And on occasion even Aries joined in. Of course Aquarius didn't stop them, she enjoyed watching the blonde suffer. Still, Lucy begrudgingly had to admit that she still loved them even with the torture they put her through.

Jumper shopping, especially staring at the obnoxiously coloured fabrics, was no better. And they knew that. Lucy hated Christmas. Well maybe hate was a strong word, but she still held a strong dislike for it now. She had ever since her mother died and this year wouldn't be any different. They were trying though so the least she could do was try to entertain the idea of it, they were the closest things she had to family anymore.

"I was talking to Aquarius the other day," Virgo's tone was suddenly serious as she absentmindedly thumbed through several hanging items, "She, err, she wasn't very hopeful about us lasting much longer."

"Oh...What did she say?"

"Well, put it this way, without a miracle this will be the last Christmas we spend in Starry Heavens." A sad smile danced across her features, "I know it's not your favourite time of year but, it might be the last time we can all celebrate together. And we thought that you'd like to...maybe...celebrate with us on the day. All of us. Kinda like a last hoorah."

Oh well that just made her feel so much better didn't it? "Virgo, I..." She didn't want to decline but it really wasn't a holiday she enjoyed anymore. She didn't want to bring the mood down for everyone else.

"It's fine. You don't have to. But, it would be nice if you ever reconsidered. We'll be at Aries' if you decide to join us." Lucy nodded, immediately regretting the fact that the conversation was ever brought up in the first place. Maybe there was a way to cheer her up...Her eyes landed on a sickeningly bright blue disaster of a creation that poked out from amongst the other fabrics that it put to shame. When Lucy pulled it out, her face contorted into such a look of disgust it was as if she had been sucking on a lemon for the past hour and a half. It was hideous. A massive fairy was printed in the middle wearing the skimpiest pink outfit that the creators would probably allow and a red Santa hat hung loosely off her head, sliding down over her eyes. The words _**JINGLE ALL THE WAY**_ were printed in red and green like a peppermint candy cane and white stars ranging from all sizes were dotted in every free space possible. Her eyes hurt just looking at it.

"Hey, that kinda looks like you." Virgo snickered from beside her, earning a glare. But if it cheered her up after that horrid conversation they just had then maybe it would cheer the others up to. "Alright well I guess I'm getting this one then."

* * *

"I feel like an idiot." She pouted a few hours after their shopping spree, when Lucy had been forcibly dragged back to her apartment by the over excited pinkette who was adamant that she was trying on her outfit. At some point, Virgo had found a reindeer headband and a Santa with the largest pompoms Lucy had ever seen. There were some other things that she had actually seen her pick up and had now been forced to wear with that hideous jumper. "Alright, let me see what you look like!" Lucy grumbled as she reluctantly slid out of her bedroom, glaring menacingly at the woman who was desperately trying to bite back her laughter. Though no one could blame her. A bright blue jumper, reindeer antlers and a pair of Christmas Tree glasses that Virgo had given to the blonde at the last minute had all been crushed into the most revolting thing that anyone would ever have the displeasure of laying their eyes on.

Yes, that was how much she hated it. But it made Virgo happier so it would make the others happier. She would just have to grin and bare it for the following week. "Aw, you look great!"

"Shut it you!" Lucy glared, "Can I take it off now?"

"Sure sure, just give me a minute."

"Virgo...? What are you doing? Put that down!" She was momentarily blinded by the camera flash from Virgo's phone, but the sound of evil, childish giggling told Lucy that her "friend" had gotten exactly what she wanted. "Well, I'm off." Virgo dashed to the door before Lucy could catch her, "See you tomorrow Lucy!"

"Virgo! Get back here!" She caught the door as it was closing behind the escaping woman but unfortunately, Virgo was already halfway to the elevator and Lucy was not willing to step outside of her apartment in her current state. The woman's laughter filled the hall as she all but dived into the contraption when it opened. "Sorry Lucy!" The doors closed leaving a very confused passenger behind, who just so happened to look up to where the woman was shouting and spot the blonde. Lucy has never moved so fast until she leaped back into her home and slammed the door behind her. But it was too late. She could already hear them moving up the hall, not bothering to hide their rising laughter.

A knock at the door sounded but she ignored it, choosing to brood on her couch instead. He could go one day without interrupting her. "Go away!" Silence, save for the shuffling of feet on the carpet. "Why are you-"

"I said, _go away!"_

"It's a good luck on you." He chided through the wood.

"Natsu!" Lucy stormed to the door, only stopping to remove her hideous accessories on the way, "I told you to go!" She glared, he glared back. The serious facade didn't last though because she could see hi biting back another chuckle, "Uggh, men!" Natsu rammed his foot between the door and the wall before she could slam it in his face and carefully pushed it open when she stepped back. He didn't go in though and wouldn't until she invited him inside. "Just tell me what you want and go."

"Alright." When he placed a small bag on her dining table, Lucy felt every ounce of patience she had left finally slip away. But she would entertain him for now. It wasn't like it would hurt her. "You seem grouchier today."

"Get to the point."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu waved her off, pulling a tiny box out of the bag, "I had to go out and get something, Ice Prick used the rest of my aftershave, so I decide to get you a present. You know, Christmas spirit and all that." The way he said it was so care free but it still sparked a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. It had only been two months since she met him! God, why was he so clingy? "Natsu that's...really nice of you. But-"

"Just accept it and be done with it Luce. Don't be such a Scrooge. It's Christmas!" He grinned, but it faltered when he looked around her apartment, "Why's it so bland in here? Aren't you putting up any decorations, or even a tree or something?"

"I don't like Christmas." Was the blunt reply. The look of shock on his face implied that he obviously was not expecting that. "How can you not like Christmas? It's one of the best times of the year. I mean, it can't top Halloween but it's still such a-"

"I have my reasons, which you don't need to know about!" Lucy spat, "Now say your peace and get out."

"Lucy-"

"No Natsu! I'm not in the mood for this today!" He raises his hand in surrender and they stand in an uncomfortable silence for what feels like hours. Finallly it seemed that Natsu had relented when he sighed and left the blonde's apartment, slamming the door harder than he meant to and instantly regretting it when he was on the other side. But obviously Lucy didn't know that and took it as a sign to his anger, eventhough she believed he had nothing to be angry at her about. He was the one that invaded her home, she didn't have to like some damn holiday just because everyone else did!

And why was she still wearing this stupid jumper?!

* * *

When she'd cooled off, after a few hours of brooding and a long shower to clear her head, she had gone across the hall but had been told by Gray that Natsu had gone out and that he probably wouldn't be back for a few hours. She'd been in her sitting room since, the TV playing on a low volume in the background as she mentally tried to fight her writers block, but had not heard anyone go passed her apartment door. Maybe she really had scared him off for good this time. The gift he had given her was still lying unopened and forgotten on her table. That would just make her feel even worse when she finally saw it.

Virgo had shown that picture to Loke and Aries (those three could be as thick as thieves when they weren't fighting) when Lucy had finally agreed, eventhough she knew it was a way to force her to wear that horrific outfit to work the following day. She didn't mind as long as no one made a big deal out of it, which they probably wouldn't but she still had to remind herself that she was only doing this to cheer them up.

She finally realised just how tired she was when a loud yawn ripped from her lungs and her brain urged her for one more cup of coffee. A part of her was beginning to think she had a caffeine addiction. The other part of her just wanted coffee.

The kitchen was slightly open and staring out towards the street below where she heard carollers going on their merry way. A few people were trying to make their way home on the ice and the darkened sky was barely illuminated by the pale glow of the streetlights. It was such terrible weather for carolling, why did they put themselves through it? "Tsch." Lucy closed the window and drew the curtains before the out of tune melodies found their way to her door. It was not until she was on her way back to her seat, cup firmly in hand, that the little black box caught her eye.

Should she give it back to him or not? She really didn't know. It was a gift but after what she said, maybe she shouldn't accept it. Would it be rude not to? He didn't have to. They've only known each other for a few months so it just seemed so random. Then again, it had become a regular occurrence to come home and find the unwelcome visitor waiting for.

 _Just open the damn box!_ Her inner voice screeched, which earned an internal eye roll. But she had reluctantly been persuaded. So, setting the mug down gently on the wood, she gently pulled the box towards her and hovered her hand over the lid. Whatever it was, she would definitely have to thank him again when she saw him. And apologise. Wait..had she actually said thankyou at all? Great, now she was ungrateful as well as selfish.

"Ok, here we go." Slowly, she lifted the lid off to reveal...a golden key?

 _Seriously? A key? To where?_ Upon further inspection however, she saw the pink 'M' in the middle with the loop right at the end and what looked like arrow heads or spears poking down from each of the points after the "curves" (there was a straight line going across where the curves should have been). The end was curved into a sort of clubbed shape, like on a deck of cards, but there was a space in the middle of it. It did not look like it would fit any lock she had ever seen, but then she remembered something that had always taken pride of place in her living room since she moved here. Something very precious to her, the last gift she was given by her mother before she passed.

A collection of the most beautifully decorated keys she had ever seen hanging in a frame above her book case. How could she have forgotten? He must have seen it last time he was there and remembered when he was out. But the key was golden and Lucy had never seen one apart from the two she was given by her mother and one she had found randomly a few years back. They were rare, considering they were made from actual gold, so this must have cost a fortune. So why had he given it to her of all people?

* * *

"We wish you a Merry Christmas,  
We wish you a Merry Christmas,  
We wish you a Merry Christmas  
And a Happy New Year"

Sang the carollers that had caught a very unhappy Lucy off guard as she tried desperately to get to her apartment building. Christmas Eve was probably the worst time for her to be working so thank the Gods she had tomorrow off. All she wanted to do was slip through the doors and out of the cold weather, hiding away from everyone until at least Boxing Day but it looks like that wouldn't be happening any time soon. Why were they even out this late anyway?

"Alright, very nice. Can I just-"

"Good tidings we bring,  
To you and your kin,  
We wish you a Merry Christmas,  
And a Happy New Year!"

"Ahaha," Lucy laughed nervously, "Wonderful. I'll just be on my way then." They were blocking her path and the doorway. This was torture. She could feel her anger boiling already but she was forced to swallow it for now. How would it look if she suddenly exploded at them in public? They started on their next song and Lucy began to lose her last shreds of patience and self control. Just when she was about to forcefully push her way through them, someone (thankfully) stopped her. "Hey now, let the lady through."

 _Thank God I recognise that voice._ It wasn't some random stranger that pushed in front of her, much to her relief, and she suddenly felt a lot calmer. "Natsu, stop bothering them."

"Oh please, come talk to me when you're not half naked you pervert!"

"Don't say that in public, idiot!"

She sighed at their bickering. Turns out he wasn't alone when she saw Gray coming up the street towards them and the crowd dispersed, throwing concerned and irritated looks to both gentlemen. No one could blame them when you realise two grown men, one who had somehow lost his shirt and the other who was dressed completely in black save for his precious scarf, were on the verge of brawling the street. "Will you two shut the fuck up already and get inside?! You're causing a scene!" They halted suddenly as she took out her anger on them. The murderous look in her eye was actually quite frightening, or at least it would have been had she not still been wearing her ridiculous Christmas jumper and antlers. Yes, she'd forgotten to change at the end of her shift and it made it _really_ difficult to take her seriously.

"Now!"

"Alright, geez Luce. You're almost as bad as- someone else I know."

She raised a challenging eyebrow, "Oh is that so?

"Yep. You enjoy your present?"

"Don't change the subject. Who is this person you're comparing me to?"

 _"Will you quit flirting with the neighbour and get in here already! I lost my keys!"_ They heard Gray shout from inside, followed by some girlish giggling from the receptionists. Why he didn't just ask them for a new set she would never know. The question of why they actually had a receptionist was also a mystery to her. "I ain't flirting moron!" Natsu yelled back before turning to face the blonde, "Merry Christmas Luce!" He smiled and ran into the building, "They're probably in the shirt that you _lost_. I should staple it to you!" Came the screeching as he entered the building, earning a chuckle from the blonde. Anyone would think that they were married. They certainly argued like it.

Even if she didn't like the holiday season, it would still be a shame to be spending yet another year alone whilst everyone else is happy and cheerful. She really had no one to blame but herself. Well, another year gone. Another year alone. Nothing new there. What would her friends think if she actually took Virgo's offer this time...

 _"She's so boring. Why did we invite her again?"_

 _"Greeeaat...Look who's here everybody!"_

 _"You're supposed to be happy at Christmas Lucy. At least act like you're enjoying yourself."_

Obviously her friends would not say that to her but her imagination ran away with her at times. She actually believed it. There'd be no point in ruining it for them anyway, she should just let them enjoy their last year together in peace. "Oh hey, Lucy! Wait!" She stopped before she could press the button for the elevator, being greeted with a rather exhausted Natsu. Had he seriously just ran down the stairs? Why not just wait at her door? "Yeah?"

"I know you don't like Christmas, but we Gray's going to his girlfriend's tomorrow and I got some people coming over. You want to join us?"

"I..." It was a nice offer but again, she'd only known him a few months. He was practically still a stranger, "I can't this time. Sorry."

"You sure? I'm sure you'd fit right in, and you shouldn't be alone on Christmas anyway." She was touched by his offer but really, she wouldn't want to intrude. "Actually Natsu, I have plans tomorrow."

"I thought you said you weren't doing anything." He looked confused.

"I wasn't, but I changed my mind. Besides, it's your friends and family. I don't want to intrude."

"Well, if you're sure-"

"I am."

He stared questioningly at her for a moment, "Ok then. G'night Luce."

"Goodnight Natsu." She called after him. A part of her felt guilty for lying but the other part was glad she'd avoided the awkwardness of meeting these new people. They were of no importance or relation to her and probably wouldn't even like her anyway. It's better to be safe than sorry. Though she realised that maybe she didn't want to be so alone after all. Too bad she had no one to go to though. Unless...

Sighing, she pushed her way into the regular, boring sight of her apartment. The door closed behind her and she rested her back against it, debating her next move. Finally, after many minutes of internally arguing with her inner voice, Lucy pulled out her phone. Her reflection stared up at her blankly from the dark screen. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. _Snap out of it Lucy! You might not get to see them again next year, just do it already!_ For once she agreed with her inner self.

Her thumb hovered over a name in her contacts list before she finally pressed it and placed the phone against her ear, hearing the familiar buzzing sort of ring on the other end. She nearly gave up when no one answered but someone's voice eventually came through the speaker as she was about to hang up.

" _Hello?"_

"Virgo!"

 _"Lucy? Is everything ok?"_

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. I was just wondering if..." She froze, regretting this already.

 _"If what? You sure you're ok Princess?"_

"Yes!" Lucy quietened her tone and apologised for snapping, "I just...is it alright if I join you all tomorrow?" It was completely rushed out and Lucy was worried that Virgo had not understood her. But then a new worry overtook her that she was too late when the other line was silent. "V-Virgo? You there?"

 _"Of course you can join us!"_ Came her giddy reply, " _We thought you'd never ask. I'll tell Aries to make sure there's enough for you!"_

"Thanks."

 _"No problem...Actually, one more thing."_

"Yes?"

 _"Merry Christmas Lucy!"_

"...Merry Christmas."

And so set into motion the first Christmas that Lucy would not be spending alone. The world around her is filled with secrets she is still yet to discover but for now she deserved this happiness, no matter how brief it may be. For the following year would be the year from Hell, a time that she would find her whole world turned upside down and realise that everything she thought she knew was a lie. But that's a story that you will see play out soon enough. Everything is slowly unravelling, when will we discover the truth? There are still secrets that not even you, dear reader, can figure out yet.

So enjoy the rest of your Christmas and I will see you next year.


	7. Lucy Has A Date

**Hey everyone. So, I was going to post this at the weekend but I went out for my birthday on Saturday and then on Sunday I was just tired. Anyway I'm finally posting it now so enjoy. It's not one of the best but I'm trying to write the chapters in a different way to make them more interesting and make the build up more exciting.**

 **This one's kinda short, so sorry in advance, but I couldn't think of how to finish it. Next chapter though, I know exactly what's going down there so stay tuned for that! Been wanting to put it out for ages.**

 _ **xxxfairy heartxx-**_ **Thanks! I know he's not very "vampire-ish" as you put it, but I have my reasons. More of his past will be revealed later on so bare that in my mind, most of his current personality is a facade until then! Hope you enjoy the rest of it.**

 _ **Grandeeney Marvell-**_ ***sigh* Always a pleasure reading your reviews. Always a pleasure.**

 _ **JustSomething-**_ **You'll have to stick around to find out then! I am also a girl so I just used "dude" because it was the first thing I thought of. Haha. I'm actually glad there's regular readers on this, thanks!**

 _ **FairyTail9908-**_ **Well, hope you enjoy the rest of what's to come seeing as you are "intrigued"!**

 _ **TabbyCat-**_ **I have plans for Lucy! Don't you worry. She'll lighten up eventually. but how long it will last is a different question. *insert evil laughter here***

 **Good god that was a lot to write...**

* * *

Now that the holiday season had passed and the year had come to a close, the people of Magnolia found themselves trudging through what would probably be the slowest month of the new year. January- the month of making resolutions that would quickly be broken. Of frantically trying to reorganise your life after the eventful few days at the end of the previous year. The month of willing spring to come quicker and counting down the days to your next break the moment you step back through the doors on your first day back at work.

And then suddenly, it's nearly February. Which of course meant yet another "holiday" in the form of Valentines day, where young couples who had recently gotten together would be in a sickeningly loved up state whilst those who were still single would be forced to watch from the sidelines. Those who were especially repulsed would try to avoid the day or risk seeing the sickening displays of public affection. Surprisingly, thanks to Loke dragging her out to a New Year's eve agaisnt her will, Lucy actually had a date lined up for that day. Now she just had to convince her strangely overprotective neighbour- whom she had begrudgingly began to consider a friend- that it was a good idea.

"Natsu, he's not that bad-"

"You only just met the guy! Honestly Lucy, I expected better of you."

"Oh please." she scoffed, "You hardly know me."

"I know enough."

"Yeah? Like what?" Lucy challenged, leaning across the table with a challenging glare. She'd decided she had to pay him back somehow after he bought her that present for Christmas and when she couldn't think of anything, he'd brought her to the place her claimed to be his favourite restaurant, Fairy Tail, and just told her she could pay if she was really so bothered about paying him back. So that was how they found themselves here. But she wasn't too fussed, she just wanted something to eat. Plus, it was better than eating ready made meals all the time or always eating with her co-workers at Starry Heavens. She appreciated the change. Maybe she'd have to do this more often.

"I know plenty Luce." Natsu glared back, "You think you're a writer. You work as a waitress somewhere in town but you won't tell me where. Your favourite colour's pink. You are the least organised person I know, and that's coming from me-"

"Alright, alright! I get it!" How he'd learned so much about her in such a short time was a mystery. Maybe he actually did pay attention when she spoke to him. But then it dawned on her that he was still essentially a stranger to her. The man sat across from Lucy hadn't revealed anything about himself in the past three months he'd invaded her home, yet he somehow knew way too much about her. Or at least, he hadn't revealed anything major that would have been worth noting down. "Why don't you tell me something about you for a change?"

"'scuse me?" He seemed taken aback.

"All we ever do is talk about me. 'How was your day Luce?' 'Who's your friend?' 'How was work?' You sound like my mother." Natsu faked a look of hurt at this but the grin forcing it's way onto his features shattered this facade immediately. "I'm not all that interestin'."

"And I am?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Come on. Just one thing and I won't ask again. Please?"

She could see him mulling it over in his mind, though she wasn't sure if that was because he just really didn't want to say anything or was just boring. It was probably a mix of both. "Alright," Natsu leaned forward, sighing, "I have a cat. His name's Happy. That good enough?" Well it was a start at least. Who names their cat Happy?

When she didn't reply, Natsu leaned back into the position he was in before but this time he didn't hold the same cheery look. It actually seemed like he was annoyed and Lucy desperately tried to find a way to turn the conversation around. So it seems he really wasn't comfortable talking about himself. Huh, she thought it would have been the opposite. Finally, and much to her relief, a woman she assumed to be a waitress came over and Lucy's eyes immediately widened.

Anyone, no matter whether they were straight, gay or whatever else, would be able to see she was attractive. Gorgeous in fact. Lucy could've sworn she'd seen her somewhere before but for some annoying reason she couldn't figure out where. "Hey Natsu, who's your friend?" The woman spoke in a cheery squeak, her long white hair bouncing ever so slightly with every movement.

"Oh right. Mira meet Lucy. Lucy, Mira." He gestured between the two women before turning back to the waitress. She smiled at Lucy but the blonde could've have sworn there was something else behind her gaze. Something that unnerved her. The shiver that ran up her spine when the woman turned back to Natsu was almost hard to supress. "Let me guess Natsu, your usual?"

"And whatever Lucy's havin'." The woman rolled her eyes, took Lucy's order and left but not before sending a glare towards the blonde's pink haired companion. Lucy couldn't figure out the reason behind it but she guessed Natsu came here enough times to have some kind of friendship with the woman, which was surprising to say the least when Lucy realised why she recognised her.

"You know Mirajane Strauss? As in, the most famous ex-model for Sorceror Weekly in the history of Magnolia? Why didn't you say?"

"Oh yeah!" Recognition flashed across his eyes, "I guess she is huh. Didn't think you were interested in that kind of stuff." Considering the massive stack of magazines building up on her desk, and the shed load of stuff he already seemed to know about her, Lucy was kind of shocked he hadn't figured it out. Then again, he was more dimwitted than she gave him credit for. "Known them since we were kids."

"Them?"

Even though his head was bowed down, she still saw his eyes widen, "I meant her. I've known her since we were kids. And don't even think about pressing any further 'cause I ainn't telling you anything else."

"Wasn't going to ask anyway." She glared.

"Yeah you were." He glared back.

Both of them stayed like that, locked in a glaring match with each trying to match the toher, across the table, neither backing down until Mira came over once again and cast questionning glances at the pair. Lucy shrugged her shoulders, earning a chuckle from the woman, before she left. It was only now that Lucy noticed the faint glow of Natsu's cellphone emitting from under the table, shining ever so slightly on to his face. Whoever it was must've been pretty important considering it took him a full ten minutes to look up again after Mira was gone.

"Hey err Luce, I-"

"Need to go?"

"How did you-"

"In the past three months, every time you've checked that thing, you've had to leave." She was right now that she thought about it. Sometimes he just left so abruptly that she didn't even get so much as a goodbye. "Yeah...It's a work emergency. I'll see you later. Have fun on your date." She rolled her eyes as he nearly collided with a young purple haired emmployee on his way out in the dark streets. Who chooses to eat so late in the day? And what time was it anyway? Lucy checked the clock hung lazily above the door and realised that she only had an hour before she would need to go out again.

It wasn't too much longer until she was diving out of the door and on her way home unless she wanted to risk losing her first opportunity of the year.

* * *

Thankfully, Lucy had made it back home with just enough time to be berated by a waiting Virgo for being late and still manage to get changed into a low cut, tight fitting red dress that her "friend" had picked out with the full intention of, and I quote, "Making her look as desirable as possible". Oh sure, that was her reason. Too bad Lucy couldn't move her face with the amount of make up Virgo had carelessly slathered on her, otherwise she would have a few choice words for the woman in question.

"You look great. He'll be all over you."

"I hate you." Lucy grimaced.

"Love you to Princess. Now remember to smile." She tried, really, but it came out as a thick line. That would be the best she was going to do until the horrid chemicals on her face dried. How much was too much? She hadn't even seen what Virgo had put on her so for all she knew, she was going out more tarted up than she would have liked. Oh Mavis, please take pity on her.

"What's his name?"

"You know him Virgo. It's Bora-"

"Not him! The half naked guy that lives across from you."

"Oh. Right." Virgo had an unfortunate encounter with Gray when she was waiting for Lucy, where she nearly knocked down the woman she is assuming to be his girlfriend. Poor Lucy had to break up their arguing when she arrived. "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason."

"Virgo..."

"Alright. Fine. I'll leave it."

"Thankyou."

...

"So is he always like that or what?"

Lucy groaned. She had a feeling that this would be a long night.

* * *

 **Short, I know, but I was pressed for time. Getting busy again so wasn't sure if this would be up by the end of the month. But I succeeded! I've got a break the week after next so I can do more and write the next chapter in a longer, better format. So stick around until then because I promise, things are going to happen!**

 **I've been saying that for ages now but I mean it this time! I swear!**


	8. What Happened?

**I'm baaaacckkk! I was going to post this earlier but the site was down and plus, it's snowing here for some absurd reason and my internet is really bad. But it's up now and I made it so much longer to make up for the abysmal length of the last one. From this point forward, my fic will be more serious and I have something exciting for the next chapter or so! Well, exciting for me. Maybe not as much for everyone else but I'll see if you can guess what it is! But for now, reviews:**

 **RainbowMagic657: Aw thankyou! But seriously, if I disappear again then you've all got every right to berate me on it. I enjoy writing this and I'm glad you're all enjoying it to. In terms of the actual exciting events, they'll happen eventually. This is a taster of what's to come so I hope you stick around till then!**

 **TabbyCat: I feel the same way about that vile substance. I mean, it's nice and all but I don't want to go around looking like a clown. I honestly couldn't think of anything else to put in that part of the chapter so it's kinda how that part came about.**

 **JustSomething: I still could've tried to make it longer. But don't fret, this chapter is more than twice the length of the majority of the others in this fic so it should make up for it! Everything about Natsu and his past will be revealed in coming chapters, so you'll find out in due time. The action may be a bit of a let down this time round but it'll get better now that things are heating up.**

 **Lily: I tell you things. Not everything but hey, I'm entitled to my privacy. Enjoy this chapter anyway!**

* * *

Her past romantic exploits had left Lucy with low hopes for her date but it had actually started out alright. He seemed decent in comparison to other people her friends had set her up with and she actually had a good time, until they arrived at Titan Nose bar and everything became clear. The guy was, in every sense of the word, a total prick.

Egotistical, misogynistic, flirting with every bit of skirt that passed when she thought her night couldn't get any worse, she was forced to sit with him and his sleazy friends for at least an hour before she finally had enough and decided to leave. They tried to stop her and all she remembers is running from the bar at about nine in the evening and hiding in an alleyway until they'd left. After that, she doesn't remember much but at some point she must have returned home for she woke up the next morning in her own bed. Why she couldn't remember anything was a concern but she ruled most of it out to alcohol. She was slightly intoxicated when she ran and Lucy had never been able to handle her drink. Still, she should at least remember most of it. Right?

It was a concern, sure, but she was still too tired to care yet and plus, she had a shift later in the day to prepare for. No, what was more concerning was the fact the she could hear someone shuffling about in the hallway outside of her room. Now usually she didn't mind a certain someone being in her apartment but it was a different matter completely when she was asleep and had no idea exactly how long they had been there or who they were. A lot of people just came and went in her home without giving it a second thought though in fairness, it was her fault for giving them a key.

"I am not in the mood for this." She muttered, picking up a book, that had been conveniently placed on her nightstand, as some form of self defence just in case it wasn't who she thought it was, and proceeded to creep out into the open space of her hallway and peer around the open doorway of her kitchen, to see that oh so annoying mop of hair bouncing about the room, spatula in hand and whistling some odd tune. He seemed happy...Too happy.

She was suspicious.

"Mornin' Luce!" He called without even looking behind him. Even with his face turned she could _hear_ his smirk. Why was he so chipper this morning? It was obvious he was a morning person but this was just...weird. "How did y-"

"I heard your door open." Still he wasn't looking back at her. Something was up with him but she really couldn't figure out what. "And before you ask, I'm taking care of you. Your friend asked me to. Who was she again? Virgil?"

"...Do you mean Virgo?"

"That's it!" He beamed, waving the spatula triumphantly in the air, "Virgo! She brought you back home yesterday after your date and told me to look after you. You were in a pretty bad shape." He mumbled something else but Lucy didn't think she wanted to hear it. He seemed angrier than before. "Oh yeah, probably haven't noticed yet but she didn't change your clothes or anything from last night so just...yeah. You should probably go get changed."

It was only now that she looked down to see she was still wearing the same skimpy red dress as last night, only slightly more creased in places than before. Her makeup was smeared and her hair a mess, yet her shoes had been removed and her purse placed God knows where. For some, worrying, reason, she couldn't seem to remember much beyond fleeing the bar. There were flurries of colour passing through her mind yet she could not match any of the blurred figures in them to people she recognised, nor could she make out the muffled voices of them either. It was all just one massive blur and it was starting to give her a headache.

"Oh hey, I made you breakfast." Natsu exclaimed proudly, holding up a plate of steaming bacon, beans and toast. It actually smelled rather nice and she was embarrassed by the unladylike rumble her stomach let out. The pinkette simply chuckled. "Oh really? And here was me thinking you just enjoyed a tango with my kitchen apparatus." He shot her a challenging glare, earning a rare smirk of victory from Lucy.

 _Lucy 1, Natsu 0_

Or so her mental scoreboard liked to think.

She ate then decided to have quick shower to wash away the sickeningly sweet smell of wine that was still lingering on her. There was no way Aquarius would let her work like this! Lucy would be lucky if she even got through the door before her boss sent her packing. The water was refreshing as it bounced off her skin, her concerns for her lack of memory flooding away as the fruity aroma of her shampoo took over her senses and for a brief moment, the pit of fear that had pooled in the bottom of her stomach since she woke up slowly began to fade. Oh it was wonderful and she could have stayed there all day had her very annoyed guest not banged on the door after however many minutes, telling her she was going to be late, earning a screech of terror from Lucy (who may or may not have forgotten that he was still in her living room).

...Wait, how did he know her work schedule?!

* * *

"So, you don't remember anything?"

The rest of her day had gone fairly slowly. She had invited Natsu to join her for the day, seeing as how he never got out of the house, but he had declined and made up some long winded excuse about "being busy" all day. Obviously he was lying but she didn't want to fight with him. There was no need to be forced to crowd on a bus this morning to avoid the pouring rain as the sun shone high and proud in the oddly blue sky that morning. That didn't mean it wasn't cold though and she almost regretted not bringing a jacket when the sharp bite that still lingered in the frost of the air hit her skin. But she wanted to walk today, even if it meant being absolutely freezing when she arrived.

Her coworkers had prodded her for details on her night and after the usual "I hated it" speech she gave, she told them of the strange gap in her memory that just couldn't seem to be filled. They were concerned, sure they were, but Lucy refused to tell them anything else after that for the simple fact was she didn't really care. So they each took a turn in trying to get it out her yet non had succeeded. However, Loke seemed to be getting somewhere after a half hour of questioning.

"For the last time Leo-"

"Oh come on! We're worried about you! You could've been drugged for all we know and you have absolutely no idea! At least tell us something."

"Like what? I really don't remember much else." Lucy shot back, fully irritated by his persistence.

"But there is still something there right?" The blonde chose to ignore him and turn her back, earning a pout from her friend, "Lucccyyy!" He whined. Finally the blond gave in and turned to face him. God he was annoying when he wanted to be. She knew exactly what he was doing and she gave into it every time, mainly for the sake of not wanting to be tormented any longer than she could handle. "Alright, fine. You win Loke." The satisfied glint in his eye did not go unnoticed by her, "All I can remember after that is some shouting. There's some blurred faces and then...I think someone gets into a fight. I don't know. After that I remember a bad pain in the back of my head and then suddenly I'm waking up in my own bed. Happy now?"

"Eh, not really but it'll do." Lucy rolled her eyes at him before he spoke again, "So how did you get home then?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Na- My neighbour said Virgo brought me back-"

"Impossible." Loke's sudden interruption surprised her. He seemed so sure that what she was saying couldn't have happened but it must have. How else would she have gotten back? Unless she made it back herself and couldn't remember...It was a plausible theory. Or maybe someone was lying to her.

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure of that?"

"Easy," The man replied simply, "Virgo was at our place all night last night. She was helping Aries with something and then just slept on the couch. Was still there this morning when I left and she never went out at any point last night."

Lucy swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, "And you're absolutely sure she never left?"

"Lucy, I think I know what goes on in my own home. And," He added as an afterthought, "Think about it. We live nowhere near you. There would've been a very slim chance of Virgo seeing you _if_ she had went out anyway." Their conversation was cut short when Loke was called to the kitchen, leaving Lucy alone behind the counter with only her thoughts to ponder over.

Why was she lied to? More importantly, who was lying to her in the first place? Without her memory it was hard to determine exactly what had happened to her and, although it wasn't that much of a big deal to her this morning, now it was beginning to feel more and more as if something was amiss. The feeling had been building all day but this was the final nail in the coffin. She had to get to the bottom of this, for the sake of her sanity and her safety. Her first goal was to get the truth from whomever is lying. After that it was a matter of finally piecing together what happened to her once and for all.

What better place to start than with the person who kicked this whole thing off this morning? Looks like she'd be paying Natsu another visit after all. But first, she had to finish her shift today. Their confrontation could wait for now.

* * *

 _There is now word that could describe the flood of fear that washed over her. Those eyes. Those cold, dead eyes once filled with warmth and kindness held a look of pure destruction. Pure evil. Void of all human emotion, they were the eyes of a they were glaring right at her, boaring into her soul and setting her spine into a constant shiver._

 _The man they belonged to, the man she thought she knew, was unrecognisable. Everything about him just wasn't right. It wasn't him. It wasn't...human._

 _"I'll kill you!" The monster was tackled to the ground, both figures wrestling frantically in the dark shadows of the street. Hissing. Growling. Snarling. They scratched and tore at the air, then at each other, at every visible piece of skin. She huddled further into her hiding space, pulling he knees up close to her chest and making herself as small as possible._

 _Just make it stop. Please. Make it stop!"_

* * *

With pure determination fuelling her every move and a roaring fire in her belly, she stormed down to street towards the apartment block not fully aware of what she was to say. All she knew was that she was seeking answers and she would get them no matter what she had to go through.

After thoroughly interrogating Loke (including locking him in the break room until she was sure he was telling the truth) she turned her attention to Natsu, the man who she had trusted in the past few months to enter her home, to even consider as a friend. Why had he lied to her? More importantly, what was he hiding from her? She had called Virgo before leaving the cafe, just to confirm that the pinkette definitely hadn't seen her the previous night after she left for her date.

A small part of her hoped that the niggling voice in the back of her head was wrong and she was just being paranoid. That was all. But the other part of just knew that when Virgo's confused tone came through the speaker on her phone, there was only one other person that would know what happened and for the first time since meeting her neighbour, Lucy was genuinely scared to talk to him for fear of what she may hear.

She was brimming with confidence and determination until she took her first step out of the elevator and it all disappeared as if her bubble had finally popped. All of her fears, anxieties and suspicions from her day flooded into her mind and sickening feeling of reluctant bravery filled her stomach. She had to do this, even if she didn't like what she was about to hear. It might not give her peace of mind but at least she could finally find out what had happened to lead her up to this moment of standing in front of the same oak door that had always been across from her.

She took a deep breath before she knocked on it, bracing herself for when it would swing open and she would confront the pinkette once and for all. But it didn't. Lucy was left standing silently in the hallway, staring at the wood. She knew he was in there, he never left during the day, but something felt off. "Natsu!" Lucy slammed her fist against the wood again with much more force, "Hey! I need to talk to you!" Silence.

Her hand unconsciously slipped to the doorknob, freezing before she tried it. What was she thinking? Natsu wasn't the only person who lived there! She couldn't just walk in whenever she felt like it. But then again, she deserved answers...didn't she?

"Ok Lucy. You can do this." She mumbled, twisting it to find that the door was surprisingly unlocked. It slowly creaked open and Lucy was immediately greeted by the icy wave of cold air that washed over her. Of course Gray never turned off the air conditioning. He was practically a living snowman at this point. Poor Natsu, having to put up with this temperature. Wait, what was she thinking? She was here to interrogate him not pity him.

"Natsu!" Lucy's voice rung through the seemingly empty apartment, "Natsu! Are you in here?" The door closed behind her with a soft _click_ and Lucy realised that she was alone and an unnerved feeling that she can explain ran through her every bone. She'd never been in here before and it was strange to think that, for once, she was invading his home instead. _Focus Lucy! Just get out of there!_

When she was heading for the day, a small crack of light seeping into the room caught her eye. She knew she shouldn't have but it was just too much to resist. What if it gave her the answers she wanted? Slowly, the blonde crept over to the door it led to, fearing one of her neighbours would return any moment and freezing suddenly at even the slightest scuttling outside. Oh she would have some explaining to do when they walked through that door.

Her hand rested on the white washed wood of the ajar door and she tried to peer inside but it was too dark to see anything other than a few outlines of furniture illuminated by the light flooding in from the living room. Curious, she pushed further inside and let the full light of the living room illuminate the small spacce of the doorway, providing enough light for Lucy to see.

It was a bedroom. Or at least, she thought it was. The bed looked as if it hadn't been touched. Stacks and stacks of old papers littered cabinet tops, a few scattered drawings here and there and posters plastering every wall. Clothes were just strewn all over the floor and across furniture and Lucy couldn't see any space on the floor where you could step without risk of tripping over _something._ It was a mess!

...Something told her this was Natsu's room.

Through the chaotic explosion of paper lying everywhere, she could make out a few objects sticking out from under them. On particular find came in the form of what appeared to be a very old picture frame shoved to the deepest, darkest parts of a rickety shelving unit. The quality of the picture seemed almost ancient but she couldn't be sure in the dim light. However she could make out three figures: two men and one girl. One of them appeared to be Natsu. He didn't look any different from all the times she had spent with him, yet she could tell that, somehow, he was younger. The other male figure, a tall red head man, she assumed to be his father who stood at least a foot taller than the pinkette. And finally, the young girl which Lucy guessed was his sister. Did Natsu even have a sister? She was sure he had mentioned it before.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?!" She jumped as the voice snarled from the door and quickly turned on her heel to see Natsu standing, steaming, at the entrance.

"I...well...looking for you?"

"You shouldn't be in here." He fumed, grabbing her rather roughly and pushing her out, slamming the door behind them, "You shouldn't be here at all."

"Oh yeah, this coming from the guy who breaks into my apartment on a regular basis!" She retorted.

"That's not the point of this! That's my room, _my_ space! No one goes in there but me."

"And how was I meant to know that? I was looking for you."

"That's not a valid excuse Lucy! How did you even get in here in the first place?"

"Your door was unlocked you idiot!"

Their argument had escalated into an intense shouting match that seemed to rattle the walls. She had never seen him like this before and quite honestly, she was scared. Natsu was beyond furious, the pure fire in his eyes was evidence alone of the anger he felt towards her in that very moment. Fair enough. She'd crossed a boundary but it was so hypocritical of him to turn this all on her when he did it all the time.

"I'm leaving. Don't follow me."

"Wait Luc-"

"Leave me alone. I'll speak to you tomorrow."

"Lucy!" Natsu grabbed onto her shoulder.

Suddenly, like an almighty explosion had gone off in her mind, images came crashing back into her memory. Finally, she knew exactly what had happened to her as colours flashed frantically across her mind's eyes. She remembered. She remembered everything. She remembered...him.

* * *

Lucy was hiding, crouched in between a gap in a wall, and praying the psycho scavenging the nearby streets for her would give up soon. Her night had been something from a nightmare and she wasn't keen to repeat it any time soon. That prick had tried to attack her but thankfully, she had been able to escape with a swift kick to his groin, weaving in and out of his companions who had seemingly appeared from the shadows. One of the straps on her dress and been torn and the side of it ripped during the scuffle, but she was happy to be out of there even if it meant having to cower in the cold, dark wet crevasses of a damp alleyway wall.

"Come out blondie! I don't want to hurt you!" Lucy's breath hitched in her throat as the crafty figure of Bora came into her line of sight. She cowered further behind the boxes that shielded her, praying to every god that may exist that she would be safe. He kept getting closer, his fingers scraping against the walls in a slow, agonising motion. _Don't find me. Please. Don't. Just go._ The blonde pushed further into the brickwork, biting back the whimper threatening to escape from her as her pursuers eyes landed on her temporary fortress.

"Got'cha." A malicious grin erupted on his features, his wicked intent made clear. She knew he had seen her, he had found her and there was no way to escape. Maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea to tell her friends where she was going after all. Maybe she should have called this whole thing off when she had the chance. But she was pulled from her spot before she could even cry for help, her hair entangling in his clawed fingers as her tears began to fall and she begged for him to not hurt her. The smirk never left his face as she struggled against his grip, before there was suddenly and aching pain in her arm and she felt her energy slowly draining, her eye lids becoming heavier.

And then, without warning, she found the floor coming closer towards her as the mans grip released. She hit her head on the concrete and lay there, her vision becoming hazed. But through the haze and the pounding sensation in her skull, she saw them struggling. She saw the man be tackled to the ground by what she could only describe as a furious, blood thirsty beast. She saw it, the one thing she had become so accustomed to yet to see it on such a...a creature filled her with absolute horror. He was here and beating her attacker to a bloody pulp and all Lucy could do was watch in fear and pray he didn't turn his attention to her.

Would he do that? Was he totally out of control in this state? She didn't know. In fact, their earlier encounter proved just how much she knew about him. To her, he was a stranger. Still, after all these months, and maybe she should have made more of an effort to get to know him more. Because through all the hissing, growling and snarling the two figures did as they battled on the ground, even with the scratches on his face and skin as he stood victorious over the other beast, she could still make out those features that had become oh so familiar to her. The tan skin, the ruffled hair, the once warm eyes that were now cold and dead, she knew exactly who he reluctant saviour was.

The very last thing she saw before her eyes finally closed was the dead, emptiness she witnessed dancing in his irises. She feared that the last thing she would ever see would be the monstrous form of a man she had deemed a friend, the monster within him finally making himself known, creeping towards her still holding the same murderous expression as before.

She wasn't ready for death. No, there was still so much for her to do. Her life hadn't been well lived, she knew that, but if, somehow, she lived through this, she would fix it. But she she had accepted that would never happen as her eye lids fell, the creature now crouched in front of her, his eyes void of all warmth and kindness that they had held so many times before.

* * *

Her heart dropped and her the scowl she had directed to him changed into realisation, then fear and finally frantic anxiety as she struggled to release herself from his grip. "Get off me." Lucy spoke quietly, desperately trying to remove his fingers.

"What-"

"I said get off!" She screeched, tears forming in her eyes as she finally freed herself. He called after as she scrambled to the door but she didn't reply until she found he had suddenly appeared in front of her, holding his hands out to stop her and gently placing them on her shoulders when she stopped. "Luce, I'm sorry. But what's gotten into you?" His eyes were warm again, filled with concern, but the image she had seen was just to frightening to forget. Was is it a dream? A nightmare? No, it couldn't have been. It felt too real to be a dream and remembering it brought the pain back full force into the side of her scalp, which would explain why she didn't remember any of it.

Her fears would only be validated if she were to check her arm, eventhough she didn't notice anything before hand, but the courage to do never came and she was left fearing for her safety once more as she stared at the pinkette. "Are you ok?" He asked her but she couldn't bring herself to speak, instead she pushed him away and darted out of the room, into the hallway before he could stop her. The last glimpse of her caught was her door closing and the chain latching into place.

 _Keep it together. Calm down! It's all in your imagination! He would never hurt you._ There was nothing she could say to herself to stop the feeling of her heart slamming furiously against her rib cage, or the adrenaline filling every part of her body as she had escaped a fate she did not want to know. It was only when she was alone, when she was finally sure that he wasn't going to try and follow her, that she even dared to look at her arm. If the marks were there then she would know. She would know if this was all just a bad dream she was yet to wake up from or if he really was the monster her mind warned her about.

With one, brave glance, her gaze shot to the skin of her arm and she swallowed a choked sob. It was there, or at least she though it was. The deep wound that had been carefully concealed in a manner she did not wish to know. It was there in full view, a bite shaped scar piercing her skin in the exact place her dream had warned her about. Or maybe now she should say her memory.

She couldn't stop the tear from falling as she stared in horror at the mark left on her. What did this mean? What would happen to her? She needed answers still and there was only one way to get them, but she couldn't bring herself to even think of it.

Across from her did not live a man. He was a monster, something from her worst nightmares. And whether she liked it or not, he was the one that now held the key to a world unknown be known to her. To a world where she will receive the answers she so desires but, at what price is she willing to pay?

* * *

 _Coming up on When Worlds Collide:_

 _Natsu reveals all when Lucy finally puts the pressure on him_  
 _New allies make them selves known in unexpected ways_  
 _And we learn of a secret evil brewing in the shadows_

 _Stay tuned for more, coming your way soon!_


	9. What now?

**Whaaat?! Two chapters in the space of less than a month? No, you're not going crazy. I had this one already half way written up when I published the last chapter and I finished it about a day or two later. I've been** _ **dying**_ **to post it but I thought I would leave it a bit, let the tension build. Oh I'm excited! My plans are finally setting into motion! I've got big things for the next chapters! My only problem now is actually being able to word them properly...Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually. Hopefully. I mean, I've only rewritten the next chapter about a dozen or so times and I'm still not happy with it...But no pressure right?**

 **JustSomething: I know! I know! I'm excited. The other chapters have definitely not been my best but they had to be included to build up to this point. I know exactly where I'm going with this, I know exactly how I'm ending it and now my plans can unravel! HAHA! Also, regarding chapter length, I'm trying! I really tried to make this one nearly as long. Didn't quite reach my goal but it's roughly the same length. Nearly the same word count. But regardless of that, I hope you enjoy it!**

 **SaraphinaK: Well if that chapter gave you the chills, I'd love to hear your reaction on what's to come! I have plenty more surprises up my sleeve. It's all a matter of where and how I'm going to include them now. So, I'll guess there's plenty more where that came from!**

* * *

The events of the previous week were still fresh in her mind. Lucy hadn't had any contact with Natsu since then, she hadn't even seen him at all outside of her apartment, but she was honestly quite glad of it. That night, she didn't see her friend or her neighbour. She saw a monster. A vicious, blood thirsty, violent monster and the very memory of it was too horrifying to think of. The worst part were those eyes. Eyes that had once been filled with warmth, kindness and humour had been effortlessly replaced with shallow pools of hatred and fiery rage. It was beyond frightening to think that the person she had slowly been beginning to open to hid such a beast within him. And to think she actually trusted him.

Her phone buzzed against the wood of her table. It was probably Virgo asking if she was going to be in today. Lucy had faked being ill all week, an act she had never really done since her time in high school, but in reality she didn't feel safe at the minute. She'd gone out on Monday but the constant feeling of someone watching her and the memory of her deadly encounter had scared her back into isolation, and now it was beginning to worry her other friends.

When it would pass was a question she could not answer but she knew she would have to leave at some point or another, no matter what she believed may happen. She would probably have to work up the courage to ask him what happened that night. That was assuming he actually told her and didn't keep it from her. Who knew what else he had been hiding? She didn't even know his last name for God's sake! He could be hiding anything from her and she wouldn't know it. Hell, he could even be a convicted murderer with what she saw and she would still be none the wiser if she hadn't witnessed that recent display! Now though, she knew how dangerous he was, she had every right to know what was going on...Right? Or maybe she didn't want to know. Maybe it was all just better being kept hidden and she could move on with her life as if she had never met Natsu. She was much better off when she didn't know that he existed.

But, then again, the past few months she'd known him, she'd actually felt...happier. Not in the sense that all her troubles had been solved, she'd just had fun. It was the first time she'd ever thought about it but yeah, the last few months had probably been the most fun she'd had in a while. Was she really going to give all that up before she knew the whole story?

 _Knock Knock Knock_

The sound of someone lightly knocking on her door froze her to her spot. It was probably nothing, she was probably over exaggerating, but in the back of her mind a thousand possible outcomes all ran at once. Maybe it was someone coming to finish her off on Bora's orders. He had never actually shown his face after the beating he received at Natsu's hands but she knew he was still out there, probably waiting for her. Or maybe it was some other creature coming to get in on the action. Her very end could be on the other side of that door and she wouldn't know until it opened.

"Come on Lucy. Man up. It's nothing. You're fine. Relax." She whispered to herself, regaining control of her breathing. Still, she didn't move. Instead she chose to stare cautiously at the wooden slab until she was sure the mystery person was gone and she was safe to check. No other noise came, not even when she shuffled off her chair in an attempt to creep closer to it. However, she froze when the voice spoke. The very voice she had been dreading to hear all week.

"Luce...? It's me, Natsu, I-" He paused and she heard him sigh, "Can we talk?" He sounded almost broken. It wasn't the voice she was used to yet she wasn't going to pity him. She wasn't going to cave this time.

Maybe if she ignored him he would leave. Though the tone in his voice was quiet and careful, she didn't want to speak to him. She didn't even want to see him yet. Not until she was ready. But she still heard him shuffling beyond the door a few minutes later. He was determined, she'd give him that. " Please? Look, I really really feel like I need to explain. Just...Just open the door."

He was met once again with silence, though Lucy could feel the swirling pit of guilt in her stomach. Why was she guilty? She'd done nothing wrong! If anything, she was the victim in all of this. He was the reason she was hiding. If she opened the door there was no telling what he would do to her. Then again, he hadn't done anything to her yet and he'd had plenty of opportunities to do so. She could be dead by now but she wasn't. She was still breathing, her heart was still beating and as far as she was concerned, she was still alive. Whatever reason he had kept her alive for, it must be important seeing as how he saved her.

Did he save her though or was she just assuming? Maybe he wanted to be the one to kill her. But why? She'd been nothing but good to him. Hell, she'd even let him stay over at her apartment a few times without knowing what he was truly like, when all that time she could have been killed in her sleep! It was just too much of a risk to open that door and let him again, even if she did want answers. There was surely another way for her to find out what was really going on but that was still another risk she didn't want to take. It was entirely possible that there were other creature lurking in the shadows that were just like him, praying on the innocent and vulnerable and taking away their light in an instant.

What was she saying? She didn't even know what he was let alone what he was entirely capable of. It was entirely plausible that she was overthinking this. Now it was February, nearly March, and Lucy had known him a good few months. Even before then, he had lived across from her for four months before she met him. That meant he'd had nearly a year to dispose of her and yet, she was still here. Living, breathing, wasting her time staring at a door terrified out of her wits to open the damn thing for fear she would die.

She finally made the decision to at least see what he wanted. That didn't mean she would let him in, it meant she would talk through the door. Besides, it was highly unlikely he was leaving any time soon and she couldn't stay copped up in here for the rest of her life, fearing the world outside of her apartment. She slipped off of her chair and slowly crept to her door, peering through the key hole to see Natsu sat, his back facing her door, with his knees brought up to his chest. He sighed and rested his head against the wood, apparently unaware she was there.

"What do you want?" Lucy mumbled through the keyhole, startling Natsu to attention. He jumped in his space before slowly turning his head to face her. Or at least face the direction he heard her voice from. It took him a few minutes to realise what was happening and when he finally clocked on, a knowing look crossed his features and he settled into a comfortable position against the wood once more.

"You not comin' out then?" He tried to joke but the awkward silence that descended over them told him exactly how that had gone down with the blonde. Swallowing thickly, he took the time to form exactly what he was to say. Things were already rocky between them and he really didn't know how he would fix them if he somehow made it worse. "Listen, Luce-"

"Who are you?" She interrupted, her voice filled with a strange curiosity to it rather than fear. It was not how she had wanted to sound but it seems one of her more hidden emotions in this whole situation. So it seems some part of her was filled with a morbid curiosity towards the man in question but really, you couldn't blame her. It wasn't a common occurrence to witness such a monstrous scene. In fact, it wasn't natural. Something about that night just didn't seem human no matter how much she wanted believe that. "What are you? You're not...It wasn't...That's just not normal!"

"I know." His voice was quiet. She'd never heard it like that before. It was almost like she was speaking to a child. An innocent little child. Yet she lnew the truth, or at least she was going to find out. "I know why you ran and I probably should have expected it but," He paused, clearly struggling, "I just thought, if you were really concerned than you would have said something. When you woke up, I was going to tell you everything. I expected the questions, the fear, the uncertainty. But it never came. And...And it was only when you said that you couldn't remember anything that I knew why, but instead of telling you the truth, I took advantage of that to cover my tracks." Lucy was stunned at how easily that had came out.

He had fallen over words, his voice broke in certain places and some parts were so mushed together or mumbled that she had difficulty understanding it. But in her heart, she knew it was a genuine apology. He was genuinely sorry and her reaction had really shaken him, probably more so than she was letting on. "I...I should've told you when you asked but...I-I just couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to introduce you to that. And I could probably try and hide it now. I could have just convinced you that it was all a misunderstanding-"

"So why aren't you?"

"...I just didn't want to hide it anymore. I can't."

A vulnerable Natsu was a rare sight to see. She could say anything now, anything to break him, but she wasn't that cruel. He was right in a way. Whatever was going on, she wanted him to tell her and he obviously wanted her to know. But she didn't expect him to tell her everything and quite frankly, a part of her still wanted him to just go and disappear from her life all together. The other part wanted to throw open the door and greet him with open arms. The only thing stopping her was the door and her own nerves pulling her back, freezing her hand as it hovered wantingly over the doorknob.

It was shaking, her insides were twisting and a heavy weight had formed that seemed to hold her firmly in place. She wanted to reach out and push the handle but she just couldn't when she caught a glimpse of the scar etched into her arm. There was still no clear indication as to how she had gotten it but everytime she looked at it, she felt the pain in her arm. A sharp, stinging pain that seemed to both numb her skin and cause her great agony all at the same time. It was indescribable even when she could think of a thousand words to do just that. None of them could possible live up to the excruciating pangs she endured every time she so much as glanced at it.

And to think that he had been there when it had happened. She was desperate to know what exactly it was but at the same time, terrified of what she may discover. "Luce?" His voice startled her again. For a brief moment, she had somehow forgotten he was there. "You still there?" Even so, she didn't reply and waited to see what he had to say next, pressing her ear against the door. She heard him sigh deeply on the other side. "I- I'm really sorry, ok? But I swear, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you. Just please open the door."

Silence once again. By this point, Natsu was ready to leave. In his mind he had done everything he was able to do and she ust didn't want to see him anymore. Though he couldn't blame her. He didn't know the extent of what she had remembered but he assumed it had something to do with him. That was enough to deter anyone away from him. He knew that all too well.

But the chain suddenly slid slowly across the other side of the wood and he saw the figure of the blonde standing over him a few seconds later, her eyes darting awkwardly around the hallway as she rubbed her arm nervously. It was kind if cute in a way but it was not the time to be thinking that. She was obviously nervous and the fear emitting from her was clear to anyone. Lucy was scared of him, something he had never wished to happen.

"Do-do you want to come inside?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Perhaps that maybe wasn't the smartest idea she had had this week. An hour later they were sat, coffee in hand, with an unbearably heavy silence hanging over them, neither knowing what to say. What do you say to someone in this situation? "Sorry" just didn't see appropriate any more. Not now that Natsu had previously spent the better part of half an hour outside of her doorway, all but begging her to forgive him.

"What...what are you?" Lucy was finally able to choke out, not looking him in the eye and tracing the rim of her cup with her finger. Natsu sat across from her, his chin resting on his hand over the edge of the couch as he stared off at a wall. She was sure he hadn't heard her until he slowly turned to face her. "If I tell you, you'll run."

"I won't!" She suddenly blurted out, though she didn't believe she was being truthful, "I swear."

A sad, almost pitying smile seemed to ghost his lips, "You see, thing is, I know you will. It's happened before and it'll happen again. You don't...I'm not the person you think I am."

Lucy snorted unintentionally before convering her mouth with wide eyes, "Well yeah, that's kinda the whole reason I'm asking in the first place."

Natsu sighed and she could see the internal struggle he was battling against. Should he tell her? Should he not? She can imagine those questions flooding his mind at this current moment. What had he meant by "it'll happen again"? Did something similar happen before hand? Maybe there was another person who had witnessed the almost demonic state he had been in. Or maybe he had disposed of them before ever having met her. There were so many crazy possibilities running through her mind that she just couldn't choose one. Now that he was here, she had to know. It might be her only chance to find out the truth, even if it means risking her life in the process. He didn't seem to want to hurt her at this moment but anything could happen.

"Natsu," Lucy spoke slowly and carefully, placing her cup on the coffee table and finally looking up to meet his gaze. A gaze that was filled with more emotion than she was used to the pinkette showing around her. It was the only actual emotion he was shoing, the rest of him was stoic. "I promise. I won't run. You're my friend and I know it might not seem that way at the minute but, I want to know. If not for your sake but my own sanity as well. I need to know what happened to me and you're the only one who can tell me. So please, trust me." Now it was her turn to beg.

"I-" Whatever he was going to say, he retracted it. His internal war resumed but Lucy waited patiently for him to find the right words. Anything. Anything at all would be good enough. Hell, she didn't even need the full story now. Just as long as he finally started to tell her what the hell was going on around here. One of the few things she had actually been able to learn about him was that he was not a very open person. There were things he was hiding behind walls that had seemingly been built up over so many years of pain and sorrow. It wasn't obvious to most people, in fact it wasn't obviious to her at first, but it was something she had put herself through as well. She knew that feeling of distrust all too well.

Whatever had happened to Natsu had left a mental scar on him and it was probably something that would never mend. So she understand his unwillingness to speak. But this involved her now. Whatever _this_ was, she had been forcefully dragged into it when that scumbag attacked her and now she realised the only way to receive the answers she needed was to finally, once and for all, break down the heavy fortifications the pinkette had built up around himself. The question was how.

"You can tell me anything. I promise. It won't leave this room."

"I've heard that one before. 'S what got me into this mess in the first place."

"Come on Natsu, you can trust me."

"Heard that one an' all." He mutters, sounding slightly angry this time. Had she struck a nerve? Oh god, what was he going to do to her?! _Relax Lucy. Be calm. You're trying to trust him. Just relax. He's not a monster, just regular, harmless Natsu._ Though she knew otherwise despite what she tried to tell herself.

"Alright. You want to play that game? Fine." A sudden wave of newly found confidence over came her as stood from her seat, glaring at him. For a brief moment he seemed surprised. "I could've died the other night had you not stepped in and pummelled that bastard Bora! You could've finished me off if you wanted, but you didn't! Now I don't know what the hell is going on or how I fit into it but I feel I have a right to know! You saved my life from god knows what and now you refuse to even tell me what you even saved me from? Why? What's it gonna do to me that he wasn't going to do? That you could do? I think I deserve the truth!"

"It's not like that Lucy!" Natsu suddenly snapped, raising to meet her glare. He wasn't angry but she could see _something_ burning in his eyes. "If I tell you, you'll get hurt. That's how it always is. You shouldn't have even seen anything. You shouldn't have seen me! But I wasn't going to let that prick do any more damage! I just didn't realise that you were with him. And I thought when you'd lost your memory that I was in the clear. You'll be in even more danger if you keep prying."

"Oh yeah?" Lucy spat, pushing her arm towards him and gesturing to her scar, "I'm pretty sure I deserve to know why that freak bit me! Or what you were doing there!"

"Will you just shut up for a minute?! God you're annoying!"

"At least I'm honest!" She nearly screamed at him. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Lucy had no original plan as to how this was meant to go now but she was pretty sure this wasn't it. Tears were stinging her eyes again and she turned her head away from him, walking towards her door and opening it. "Just go Natsu." The blonde mumbles but Natsu doesn't move.

He's looking at the ground, clearly deflated from the hyped stance he had held moments earlier. In the past week or so they'd fought more than they ever had in the past months they'd known each other, but something was different now. He felt...guilty. And so did she. They were just as bad as each other in terms of secrecy. It was hypocritical of Lucy to expect Natsu to suddenly just tell her everything when she still had secrets that even she was still trying to accept. She knew exactly what it was like to carry such a burden on her shoulders and whatever he was hiding must have been just as painful as what she had pent up inside, slowly eating away at her.

That didn't excuse what he had said, or the way they had been acting towards each other though, and the awkwardness that had been present before only deepened. "I'm so-"

"Don't." Natsu muttered, "Don't apologise. You're right. You deserve to know. But, I don't think you're in any position to criticise me." He suddenly looked up, completely serious, "Lucy _Heartfilia._ You've kept secrets from people the whole time you've been here."

"How did you-"

"I remember seeing some guy's death on the news, a businessman who fell from grace, Then I remembered seeing the same dude in one of the pictures you've got lying around here. He's you dad right? Jude Heartfilia? Which makes you a runaway heiress to what should have been his fortune." Lucy was dumbstruck, "I've done my research believe it or not." She'd never told anyone that before. They'd ever even questioned the blank space in the stories she told people of her past when they asked. No one bothered to check she was being entirely truthful. It caught her off guard that he effectively knew one of her biggest secrets. It added to her fear.

"I-I-I-...But-"

"I'm not finished." He interrupted her stammering, "You really want to know everything about me? Fine. I'll tell you. But don't blame me when it goes belly up and I'm saving your ass again." He seemed adamant that this was a bad idea but Lucy, even though she was still in her shocked state, was not going to be deterred that easily. Now that she knew he was aware of who she was, she thought it was only fair he repayed the favour. "Now what do you want to know Luce?"

Her mind raced with a million questions, each battling for the right to be asked. But it was impossible to choose just once. This might be her only chance to find out and she wasn't going to waste it. It wasn't going to slip through her fingers. Finally, after mulling over exactly what she was to say, Lucy stared at him with a look of pure determination set deeply into her eyes. He had to admit, he was almost intimidated. Almost.

"I want to know everything." Came her simple reply.

"Everything? You sure?"

Lucy nodded, "Everything."


	10. Through His Eyes

**So first of all, before you read this chapter and think 'What a total disappointment that was', it's about the fifth time I've rewritten it and every other time was** _ **much**_ **worse. At least it's long! Secondly right, I have more secrets up my sleeve. Did you really think I'd tell you everything in one chapter? Hell nah! We've got more to come baby! Way more. There's more behind our characters yet and if I really revealed everything in one chapter, I would have no story. And I'm sure you don't want that now...**

 **Morenoel: Thankyou! To be fair, I did disappear like right at the beginning of publishing the first chapters so it's the first time many people will probably see this, yet I'm actually surprised people still find it and enjoy it. I hope you stick around for more!**

 **EAsis: Well I mean, I do try. Once a month is what I'm going for but it's beginning to vary slightly. Don't worry though! I have a system and I know what's going to happen so my updates should be fairly regular for a while. I hope anyway.**

 **JustSomething: I was going to leave it until the end of the month but I decided, after the long wait last time, I wouldn't be so cruel. You all deserved a little treat for sticking around for so long! I spent ages actually debating how I was going to make that chapter end, originally she wasn't going to let him in, but I decided to give the tense build up a shot for once. I think it turned out pretty good actually. And to what he is exactly, part of that is revealed here. But as I mentioned above, there's still more to come! The whole truth will come out eventually...**

 **RainbowMagic657:...I can almost hear someone screaming in my ear. But that's good! Means people are excited. You will find out everything in time. The truth begins to unravel here but you'll just have to stay tuned for future chapters to see how the rest of his story plays out!**

* * *

 _Previously on When Worlds Collide:_

 _Lucy stared at him with a look of pure determination set deeply into her eyes. He had to admit, he was almost intimidated. Almost._

 _"I want to know everything." Came her simple reply._

 _"Everything? You sure?"_

 _Lucy nodded, "Everything."_

* * *

Centuries ago, before the time in which this story begins, the kingdom of Fiore was not like it is today. The land was once brimming with beings of every kind, magic pouring out of every corner and being a major part of everyday life as people became accustomed to it. Originally, if someone was born with one of these incredible gifts believed to be a blessing from the gods, they were hailed as a miracle, a deity of sorts. But eventually, such powers lost their novelty and the people of Fiore tired of the magical beings around them, seeing them as nothing more than a nuisance using up their resources and living such entitled lives in their little communities when they themselves were forced to suffer.

Of course it didn't help when these "monster" communities, as people often referred to them as, began abusing their powers and a small minority of them decided they were above humanity, using their abilities for darker deeds and forcing the citizens into living lives of fear. The king at the time decided he had no other choice and began culling the families of beasts that roamed their lands. These powers could only be passed on via blood relations. If you had any form of creature blood in your veins, so long as they were your family, you would not escape death. They had to be sure. They had to be safe.

One by one, they were slaughtered, their blood dying the castle dungeons red. Families fled into hiding until eventually, finally, people believed they were gone for good. Every trace of them was wiped from history as if they had never existed and humanity learned to survive without them, dissolving into the regular routines that we now see today. But the creature were never entirely gone, they still lurked in the darkness and the kingdom knew they would never fully dispose of them.

Secret governments were set up to keep these creatures under control, only a select few people ever fully knowing the truth. Beings once hailed as gods now cowered in fear as their lives were threatened, ripped away from them for simply being born different as if it was a choice they made. And thus the tales of witchcraft and devil hunts that we hear today may still hold some truth to them though we will never know.

This was the world Natsu grew up in over 400 hundred years ago, much to the shock horror of Lucy as he recounted the origin of his abilities to her. When he told her exactly what he was, she didn't believe him until he showed her and the constant pressing of fear that hit against her chest reappeared every time she looked at him. It was an image she would never get out of her mind. It would scar her for life and she knew that from that point forward, she probably knew more about the world around her than the majority of human beings living in...well, the world.

This just wasn't something that regular people like her found out. It shouldn't even be something that exists yet here they were. She knew more than she wanted to but there was no going back now as all of the recent revelations swirled in her mind with her desperately trying to make sense of it all.

* * *

 _Natsu's Story_

"If..If you're sure Luce-"

"I am." She nodded adamantly again, though the sudden cowardly change in her demeanour perhaps meant this was something she would most likely regret. No going back now though. "Well in that case..." Natsu mumbled, sliding past Lucy to take a seat rather anxiously on her couch. He gestured for her to sit down and she knew he wouldn't start until she complied. The atmosphere seemed to change between them immediately. Whereas before it was awkward, now it was tense and fearful. They both feared that if they said the wrong thing, the other would leave. Just leave and probably never want anything to do with them again.

"I guess, today, you would compare me to...I don't know, let's say Dracula." He was stumbling over his words. This whole situation had made him nervous beyond all reason and an anxious Natsu was not something she had seen before. "It sounds stupid but you have to understand, the world hasn't always been...like this. When I was born, things were different. And by different I mean we were practically living in what you people imagine as a fairy tale world. Magic existed. Creatures of all kinds roamed the earth and humanity lived alongside us. It was just the way of life for us, until some hot head king came to the throne and decided we were freaks of nature. He slaughtered them...people died because...because they were born differently. And they didn't ask for their abilities, but they had them."

Natsu's voice was breaking as he spoke, a mix of anger and sadness heavily lacing his tone. At first, Lucy had mentally scoffed at his story and although she still didn't believe him, she felt sympathy for the pinkette. He all believed it was real and it had genuinely upset him. Whether or not she believed him or not, she could at least comfort him when he needed it. This was hard for him. "I was human once," He mumbled, "But apparently, that's not good enough. I should be dead by now but I'm not."

"Dead? What do you mean?"

"My whole family...we were involved in a house fire. Someone bastard burnt our cottage. My _brother_ ," Lucy didn't miss the sneer at which he said brother. Something had happened between them. "He got out. My parents and I, we weren't so lucky. I was still alive when he pulled me out but they had perished with our home, and my lungs were so full with smoke that I should have been dead within in minutes. In fact I did die actually. At least I think I did."

The blonde sighed at his story. It made no sense to her. Whatever made him believe it must have been pretty convincing. Lucy didn't believe him though and she wasn't sure how much longer she could let this go on, "Natsu, listen to me-"

"You don't believe me do you?" His attention suddenly directed to her, catching her off guard with the betrayed fury in his eyes, "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Well-"

"I'm not! What do I have to do to prove to you I'm telling the truth? You want me to go out there and just scream 'Oh hey! I'm a vampire! Look at me burn in the sun!'"

"What? No!" Lucy argued back, trying not to aggravate him any further. "Ok fine then. Prove it. Prove to me you really are a- EEP!" She cowered into the back of her couch as Natsu suddenly got so close to her their noses were practically touching. His arms were placed at either side of her and he was glaring, determinedly, into her eyes. "Fine." Was his simple reply, though it was more of a growl, before suddenly his face began to contort and twist. His ears grew pointed and to twice their original length whilst she watched, in horror, as his fingernails elongated and formed into sharp talons on either hand.

Natsu bared his teeth and showed her the white protrusions that slowly pushed through his gums and down to lie with the rest of his teeth, hanging significantly longer than the rest yet somehow seemingly hiding perfectly behind his lip. But what was the most terrifying feature of all, was how his deep, warm onyx eyes suddenly darkened and were replaced with hot red pools of rage. It took all of her willpower to not scream. That and the fact Natsu had quickly covered here mouth with his now clawed hand, gesturing frantically for her to be quiet.

But could you blame her honestly? This was something straight out of a horror movie, something she knew she had seen quite clearly in her nightmares. Those eyes. The same ones that struck fear in her heart yet she still trusted them unconditionally in her dream state. They were staring right at her. Suddenly, Lucy couldn't breathe. She felt the air catch in her lungs and the next five minutes were spent with a still monsterfied Natsu frantically diving around her apartment as he tried to help her.

Then, as if nothing had happened, they were back to being perched on her couch. "That was..."

"Terrifying," The man offered, "It was for me as well, the first time it happened." He gestured to the form he still possessed as the metamorphosis began again and she found his "normal" version sitting beside her once more. But it was something she would never get out of her mind again. She would never see him as normal again. "What...what are you?"

"I don't know really." He answered honestly, "I guess for the past century or so, I've classed myself as a vampire. I mean, I'm immortal, haven't aged since my nineteenth birthday and rely on blood for survival, "Lucy's eyes widened at the last statement and he quickly backtracked, "W-well I-I-I mean, not necessarily human blood. I did. But not now. Never again. I use animals instead. Or even something from a blood bank. Killing humans...I could never do that. Not again."

"Again?!" Lucy squawked, earning a sad smirk from Natsu.

"Yeah. Again. All part of my curse you see. After the fire, my brother took me to see a lady who was living isolated in the forest. I don't remember her name or much of what happened there to be honest, but I know I woke up a few weeks later fully recovered. The only downside was that to keep such a form, I had to drink the special substance she gave me. I only later found out it was blood. But it quelled the burning in the back of my throat and made me feel so...so alive. I needed it."

Natsu was already dead when he had been taken to the lonely witch. She revived him but at a price. For one, his brother had to sacrifice something. Because of the curse, the brother had to give up both his humility and mortally. He would become like one of them, inhuman. Secondly, Natsu would have to take life if he wished to live a full one. The witch's curse meant that he needed to feed off of people's humanity and body to live. But he wasn't immortal. He wasn't human anymore either, but he didn't realise it until the witch was captured for "crimes against humanity".

His brother became greedy. Having seen how Natsu grew in the years after, he became jealous and did not want to be apart from him anymore. Another secret visit to a darker witch made Natsu immortal, but he didn't realise. The price of this curse? If one brother were to die, they both would. And, the older one could only die at Natsu's hand. One was happy, the other was confused. Neither were human anymore yet both their fates were now entwined for eternity, or at least until they decided they wanted to die. Every curse has a price and this was the price of theirs, a cures Natsu never asked for.

The first witch disappeared and Natsu was left to dwell with his demons. He was hungry, thirsty. The burning in his throat got worse as time passed and soon a lust for blood overcame him. Eventually he couldn't ignore it anymore. Soon the land lived in fear of the immortal army that had slowly risen as he had searched to quell his hunger. Nothing could stop them, not even the king's men. But Natsu didn't care, he just wanted the burning to stop forever.

"People rose up eventually though. They were able to defeat us. They found a way to kill us accidentally and used it to their advantage. I went into hiding, alone and afraid. My bother had left some time beforehand after...an incident. But at this time, the time of the 'hunters' as we like to call them, I wasn't interested in culling humanity anymore. I nearly lost mine and if I had succumbed completely to my blood lust, who knows what would have happened? I'm a monster."

"No...no you're not." Lucy tentatively lay a hand on his arm. He flinched back but she persisted. Eventually he relented. "I don't see a monster."

"You didn't think that twenty minutes ago." He reminded her of her reaction to his change and a pang of guilt stabbed into her stomach, "I've been able to do some good I guess. My little sister,Wendy," A fond smile spread on his features, "I saved her life. She was dying thanks to some other prick I turned, and I wasn't going to let her die because of my mistakes. So I...I made her like me. I took her under my wing and taught her how to use her power properly, without hurting anyone or killing anything. Then we met Igneel. He's like a second dad to me." Lucy noticed the way he seemed to light up when he spoke about his new family. It made her happy, for some reason. "He was turned one night when he and his family were attacked by one of us. They kept him alive though. Young vampires can be careless. I don't think they realised that he was still alive let alone turning into one of them. When I found him, he was starving himself because he couldn't bare to kill anyone if he meant he got to live. So I taught him how else he could live. They've been my family ever since and are really the only thing that lets me feel...normal."

He continued to rattle off the friends he had who were like him, who refused to drink from humans. Lucy saw a photo he carried with him of his little sister and adoptive father. She found it sweet how much he smiled when he spoke about them, as if they were the most important things in the world to him. Yet he refused to even mention his brother again or tell her what he was even called despite how many times she asked. Whatever had happened between them, it must have been serious for the look of pure hatred that overcame him when he spoke of this mysterious relative was something she found almost as horrifying as his _other form._

By the time he finished his story, it was late. Darkness was beginning to descend on the city. A dozen or so missed messages had piled up on Lucy's phone and even on Natsu's, though they both ignored them for once. She wanted to know more. It was selfish but she wanted to know what he hadn't told her. However it could all wait until a later date. Today, he had shared more than enough and despite the difficulty he had with it, she could see a weight had been lifted from his chest. He seemed relieved, relaxed even. And yes she wanted to know more, but she knew the toll it would take on him.

"I'm the reason that they all exist, and the reason you have that thing on your arm." When her gestured to the mark on her arm, flurries of colour flooded across her mind and the memories of the previous week made themselves known again. She had forgotten about them entirely whilst she was engrossed in his story, yet the horrid scar that defiled her skin only brought those memories back in full force. At least now it made a bit more sense to her though this whole idea of whatever this situation was, was still no clearer to her.

"These creatures, we only exist because of my brother's selfishness and the fact that the witch was easily manipulated. I was meant to be the only one like me, ever. But I guess every curse has its downsides huh. Whenever I had to...to feed, it passed onto people and they became like me but with much less control over their abilities. That effect doesn't happen on animals though, for some reason, unless we want it to."

A sickening thought washed over Lucy as she stared at the very obvious bite on her arm. She hadn't wanted to believe that it truly was a bite but now, everything was just screaming that it was and she had to know. She had to know what was going to happen to her now that that thing had dug its fangs into her. "N-Natsu." She spoke softly, tracing the lines of her scar, "What...what happens to me now? Now that I have this?"

He paused, barely glancing at her arm. Obviously he had seen it before and it had been a question he had pondered over for the past week, "Well, usually people...changes usually happen within the first few hours. Nothing more than a few days at the most. It's been a week since you got that so I think you should be fine." A sigh of relief escaped her until she noticed how his demeanour changed to being serious again, "Bora's no amateur with his abilities," Natsu looked her dead on in the eye, "He knew what he was doing. If his fangs had gotten in deep enough, you would be one of us by now. Lately I've been tracking him-"

"Tracking?"

"Part of my job." He says job. It was more of an obligation really, "I seek out and incapacitate those of us who are threat to revealing our society's existence. Bora is someone we've tracked for a while, mainly due to his selling of newly turned vampires to rich, older families of our kind looking for servants. Basically, our form of human trafficking and slavery." Lucy let out a gasp at that, "When I tracked him the other night, he was on a date. With you. And I so didn't want to interrupt it and reveal myself but, when he attacked you, I guess I just snapped. I lost it and before I knew it, I was down there in a flash and beating him to within an inch of his undead life." The venom and remorse laced in Natsu's tone contradicted each other so much so that Lucy couldn't tell if he was genuinely sorry or angry. It was probably both, "I hate him Luce. I believe his original plan was to make you his newest prisoner to be sold off. But when it came down to it, I think he was just hungry. You were going to be a meal and a weakened slave. Two birds, one stone and all that I guess."

It's not everyday that you are told you shouldn't have survived but that was all that was ringing in Lucy's ears at that time. If Natsu hadn't stepped in when he did, if he had been even one moment too late, she wouldn't have been sat there at that moment. She would probably be locked up in some dingy cell somewhere with a bunch of innocent girls like her, waiting to be sold off to the highest bidders. Oh she didn't want to believe it but the very image of such a fate sent a shiver up her spine.

He saved her. It didn't matter how he did it or what he was, Natsu saved her. And that was something she would be forever grateful for. She owed him her life. Now how do you repay an immortal being for something like that? "That's it."

"Huh?" She must have spaced out because when she returned to focus, eventhough she wasn't looking at him, she could feel Natsu's curious stare on the back of her head.

"That's it. My story. I'm done for tonight." It was kind of disappointing but she didn't mind. This whole evening had just been a roller coaster ride of emotions and thoughts, and it was highly unlikely she would forget it anytime soon. A yawn erupted from her mouth and she heard the pinkette chuckle softly beside her. In her groggy state, she swatted weakly at his arm and attempted a scowl but both of these only furthered his amusement.

He made to leave, giving her a quick goodnight, but didn't even get past the couch as the tired blond lazily grabbed onto his sleeve, much like a small child. "Natsu," she yawned again, embarrassed, "Stay here tonight."

"Stay...What?!" The pink on his cheeks did not go unnoticed. It nearly matched his hair and the blonde internally smirked at his flustered state. _Ahaha! Victory!_ Her inner voice cheered. Natsu seemed rather taken back by her sudden demand and Lucy knew she would have to elaborate. So she sighed and swallowed her pride, ducking her head away, "Listen, after everything that's happened, I...I don't feel safe. You said it yourself, I nearly died-"

"Technically I said-"

"Can I finish what I was saying?" He shut up and nodded, allowing her to continue, "I nearly died. And, your story...there are more people like him out there. They scare me but...you don't," She mumbled the last part but Natsu's sensitive hearing caught it, sudden realisation dawning on him, "I was hoping, maybe, you would stay here. Just for tonight though!...So I could-"

"Feel safe again?"

"Y-yeah! Exactly." Natsu smirked and Lucy immediately regretted her question. It was a stupid idea anyway and she knew plain well that he would take advantage of it to the full extent she would allow him to get away with. He was going to have fun with this and she knew it. But she also knew that she would feel much safer with someone who could fight on their level sleeping in her living room in case anyone did try to come after her again. Bora had accomplices, she knew that much, and she knew that they would all be lurking somewhere out there. Having Natsu with her just made her feel so much safer.

"Alright, on one condition!"

"What is it?" Lucy asked sceptically, fearing the ridiculous statement he would come up with.

"I'm taking you somewhere tomorrow and you're going with no more questions. Capiche?"

"That's hardly fair-"

"Hey, I just spilled my life story to you. You owe me something in return." _Dammit he has a point._ Lucy had no choice but to agree with him. Despite the difficulty she had getting him to this point, and eventhough she knew he was still hiding a lot from her, they had made progress today. He had opened up to her and she knew that was a feat he was not comfortable with. The least she could do was follow him on one of his weird excursions tomorrow. Besides, maybe she'd learn more about him.

With a great deal of reluctance and suspicion, she agreed, much to his joy. They spent the next few minutes making him a makeshift bed on the couch, though he insisted he didn't actually need it. Lucy disagreed and said he should still be comfortable at least and so he was forced to comply. And when Lucy finally wished him goodnight and disappeared into her bedroom, his cheery facade dropped, replaced with a look of exhaustion and anger.

His phone had been going off the entire time he had been here and he knew exactly what it was. Sitting on the blanket Lucy had insisted he use, he took out the small device and glared at the familiar barrage of messages that always lit up his phone screen. They were all usually from the same people or, more specifically, the same person who would always insist wasn't angry with him when he knew deep down that was a lie. However one particular message caught his eye, one that sent a shiver up his spine and would have turned a normal person's blood cold.

It sat there, clear as day, on the tiny screen in his hand. His knuckles had gone white with how hard he was clutching the device and the murderous rage had returned to his now red eyes. He must have only glanced at it for a second but it was long enough. Long enough to know that whatever instincts Lucy had that forced him to stay, she was right.

 _Unknown:_

 _I see you._

 _Z._


	11. Welcome to Fairy Tail

**...I had more planned for this chapter. Really. It started out as something completely different but it turned out like this. I'm kind of disappointed, what with the time I put into writing and then rewriting this, but on the bright side, it sets up some events I've been figuring out how to include for god knows how long. I think at one point I just wrote it out of the story completely, but I can put it back in now! At least I hope I can without making this whole thing too long/boring...**

 **Guest: I have my reasons as to why she did not turn. But they will all be revealed in the future, providing I can actually write them in without it seeming ridiculous. So you'll just have to wait and find out!**

 **RainbowMagic657: Hey, it could be. Could be. To "Z", it's all just a game. I'm planning their introduction for the future so, don't worry, you'll see exactly who it is eventually.**

 **JustSomething: He is indeed the first vampire ever created. I had to make some kind of lore behind this whole thing otherwise it just wouldn't make sense other wise, so here we are! And there's still more to learn. I mean, I wasn't going to put his whole history in one chapter. There is more yet to be revealed, including Lucy's secrets...**

* * *

 _Have you ever felt your skin burn? Have you ever seen flames licking over charred flesh as the pain slowly numbs your senses? Smoke begins to fill your vision and clog your throat, collecting in your lungs and breathing becomes slow. Difficult. You feel your energy slowly being sapped away and through the death and destruction of the collapsing ruins around you, you want to cry out because you know there is someone out there to help you. But you can't. Your lungs are so full of smoke and debris that it hurts to move. And with your last ounce of life slipping away, you close your eyes, accepting your fate, as the world slowly turns to complete darkness._

 _Then suddenly, you wake up._

 _The vision Lucy was witnessing was exactly that. From perishing in a fire to miraculously waking on a thrown together bed of rags and blankets, she saw it all. Though she saw no faces, she saw everything they were doing. Chanting, needles, whispering in the shadows. She saw it all but still she could not cry out. Something about this situation just felt real despite never having seen it before. She was a ghost witnessing the horrific scene before her._

 _A figure huddled over a sheet, whispering shushed incantations under their breath as they clutched pendants close to their chest, the chains woven tightly through one set of fingers whilst one hand lay softly on top of the white cloth. To Lucy's horror, red "ink" began slowly seeping onto the fabric and the chanting stopped. The figure vanished in a cloud of smoke and Lucy was left staring at the sheet, the fabric slowly pulling back as if being pulled by an invisible spectre._

 _Her heart stopped when it was pulled back fully, revealing a small body sleeping softly under it. Their chest was rising and falling slowly with every breath but she was more concerned with who it was. Even with the younger, smaller features, she knew them and before she knew it, her body was moving against her will to sit beside them, staring at their resting face._

 _Their head slowly turned, their eyelids twitching and opening to reveal deep onyx orbs staring at her. But they were empty, void of all emotion until a brief flicker flashed across the pupils and suddenly blood red pools washed away whatever warmth may have been present, replaced with murderous chaos. A hand reached out to grab her and Lucy's screams finally echoed in the now lonely void._

 _No one answered her desperate pleas._

* * *

Lucy awoke that morning, once again in a cold sweat. Her heart was beating furiously against her rib cage and for a brief moment she believed she was on the verge of a heart attack. That was the most real dream she had endured yet, she could actually feel the way that creature had gripped her arm with their claws digging deep within her skin. She had to look at it to ensure that it really was a dream, nearly screaming again when she noticed the hideous scar still present in all of its glory. But then Lucy remembered just what had happened and remembered the pinkette that had lingered behind last night to sooth her fears.

Oh how well that had worked out. If anything, he was now the sole cause of them yet she could not bring herself to admit it yet. Everything was still too raw in her mind to fully make sense of. Nothing seemed to fit into place yet she surely had enough evidence to deem it as true. Didn't she? After all, the monster he had revealed to her surely wasn't just a figure of her imagination. Lucy might have a very...creative mind, but even she wouldn't have created such a beast that shook her to her very core. Especially when it was created based on someone she was actually beginning to trust.

But Lucy never told the man in question about her dream when she re-entered the living room that morning, stretching as she greeted him with a stifled yawn. Similarily, he never once mentioned the worrying message he had read after she had went to bed that night. He also never told her of the two others he had received afterwards. Both were pictures: one a photo of the front of their apartment block, right at the front doors they always entered through, and the other photgraph taken of Lucy's front door. Natsu knew it was Lucy's. The number was the same, as was the wood, and the scratch that was running deep through the paint was unmistakable.

A sinister feeling had been in the air since and he was not yet willing to tell the blonde just what they meant. He thought it best to investigate it himself. Informing Lucy that the dangers she feared where more real than she had imagined was something he was not ready to do, especially after the bombshell he revealed to her that he himself was still learning to come to terms with. It was difficult being in his situation, watching the world move on and slowly becoming a figure that is forgotten as history unfolds. You realise that, even if you try, you'll never be normal again and eventually learn to live a life of constantly evading those who wish to erase you once and for all for becoming something you never wanted. Something you never imagined could possibly exist.

Natsu was not ready to fully bring Lucy into that world yet. He didn't plan on her ever knowing the full truth of it. What she knew now was enough to differentiate her from the regular human being and he was not going to tarnish the fragile relationship they were barely clinging on to by telling her that someone was trying to intimidate him and targeting her. Whoever it was, and he knew exactly who it was, he would stop them before they could lay a finger on her. But for now, he would continue acting as if he had nothing to hide from her. They would both continue to act oblivious to the fact they had something to hide from one another.

"Mornin'." Natsu chirped when he noticed the blonde's presence. She tried to reply but instead returned his greeting with a yawn, earning a chuckle from the man whilst her cheeks flared a rather bright shade of pink. "So I take it you slept well then."

"I slept well enough." She muttered determined not to tell him of the nightmare she suffered. Instead she pretended to take an interest in the makeshift bed she had set up the night before for her guest. This was her chance to find out more of his abilities, how much of the vampire legends were true and how much was just make believe. The whole thing still felt like something out of a fairy tale, parts of her still believed it was some sort of dream, but it all just felt too real.

"I take it you didn't sleep at all." Lucy gestured to the blankets as she sat down next to him.

"What? Oh, no. Not really. And before you ask," Natsu turned to face her, "I do sleep. Not in a coffin or whatever you people like to believe, but in a regular bed. Like a normal person. Every few days or so, maybe every couple of weeks if I don't waste my energy."

"I wasn't going to ask."

"Yeah you were." He knew when she was lying to him. It wasn't that hard to tell really, everyone has something that gives it away. Lucy bites the corner of her lip, sometimes throwing a random hand gesture or two into the mix to distract him. It was obvious but he wasn't going to tell her yet, it was actually quite funny. "And again, before you ask, no I do not sparkle in the sun. Nor am I allergic to garlic. A stake to the heart would kill _anyone,_ not just a vampire. Seriously, who came up with that one? I'm disappointed in their creativity. I am, however, sensitive to sun light. It depletes my energy and too much exposure makes me sick. I will die if I'm in natural sunlight for too long."

"As interesting as all that is, why are you telling me?" Not that she wasn't curious. It all just seemed so random.

"I don't know," Natsu shrugged, "Just figured you'd be curious. Plus, I thought you'd be less scared of me if you knew I have weaknesses." It was a sweet thought but she didn't want him to think she was frightened (eventhough it was probably pretty obvious with the distance she was trying to keep between them). He knew though and to be honest, he'd be concerned if she wasn't wary of him. It was a natural reaction, human nature, to be scared of the supernatural. The unknown. "I can die as well. If someone where to, say, cut off my head. Obviously. Or, I don't know, another vampire were to bite me. It would neutralise the curse, or the venom if I were created in the same way as any other vampire, and actually kill me."

"Ok..." Lucy trailed off, "But say I wasn't a vampire or couldn't get close enough, nor had the freakish strength, to cut off your head. How would I kill you?" She asked curiously before quickly adding in as an after thought,"You know, if I had to. Not that I want to. Why would I want to kill you would be a better question. I-"

"Coat an iron weapon in the blood of a dead person, either male or female, and stab me with it or fire it at me. We can only survive on the blood of something that is living. To be tainted with the blood of someone who is already dead would just shut down our systems entirely." He told her without a hint of hesitation in his voice. To Lucy, it was almost as if he was granting her an escape; a way to be rid of him should her nightmares become reality.

Did he know? How could he? There was no possible way he could know about her nightmares or the fear that was forming a heavy weight in her stomach. Unless he was hiding some other secret power he was using to secretly manipulate her. _No. No he wouldn't do that...Would he?_

There was still so much that she didn't know. She felt as if they had barely scratched the surface of the secrecy shrouding whatever weird friendship the two of them had built up. The fortresses surrounding the suppressed darkness of the past had barely cracked. They had a long way to go before everything was fully out in the open, before they could truly say that they trusted one another.

If that was even a possible outcome anymore.

Honestly, with everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, they were both still strangers. The air of civility between them. The cheeriness. It was all just a fragile facade built up on lies neither one of them had any right to know about each other. Some things are better left kept hidden.

"So," Natsu began again, looking slightly more uncomfortable than before, "I said I was taking you somewhere today. Go get ready and meet me in the lobby in about an hour or so. I've got somethin' I need to take care of before we go." Lucy nodded. She wanted to ask exactly what he had planned but a part of her knew he wouldn't tell her no matter how much she irritated him about it.

And so, thirty minutes later, she was stumbling around her apartment searching aimlessly for anything she may need on this little "trip" of theirs. She debated whether or not to inform Loke of her plans for the day, just in case something happened and she needed some way to escape. But then some part of her mind convinced her she was being stupid, though she still decided to keep her phone close to her at all times just in case. She also decided, against her better judgement, to finally dig out a swiss army knife Capricorn had gifted her some Christmases ago in case she ever found herself in danger. It was probably an overreaction but it would calm her nerves knowing she could defend herself should she need to. She was still wary around him despite what she was telling herself.

Her nerves were quivering by the time she reached the door, her hand hovering above the handle as she debated stepping out into the hallway. Hiding wouldn't do her very good and the only ways to escape without seeing him would be to either sneak past him in the lobby or use the nearest series of fire escapes. Neither seemed like a decent option considering she would have to come back to her apartment at some point in time. So she swallowed whatever nerves she may have been feeling and held her head high as she cautiously made her way to the elevator and then the near enough empty lobby. There was still at least another thirty or so minutes before she was supposed to meet the pinkette but she just wanted to get this whole experience over and done with.

A small leather seating area in one of the room's dark corners provided her the perfect place to survey her surroundings. It was also the perfect distance from the main doors should she decide she was in danger. Her mind began mentally preparing an escape plan until she felt a sudden, cold hand on her shoulder earning a squeak of terror from the blonde. The present receptionist looked mildly concerned as she directed a glare towards the area, but Lucy had no time to explain when Natsu interjected to reassure the woman before returning his gaze to her.

"What the hell Luce?" He spoke in a hushed tone to avoid the receptionist's suspicious gaze, "It's just me. Why the overreaction?"

"You can hardly blame me!" She snapped back in her own whispered voice, "This is only the second time I've been outisde my apartment in the past week! The first time didn't end so well either. What did you think my reaction was going to be when you sneak up like that?"

"Do you honestly think someone would attack you in a public space?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, enough of this!" Natsu suddenly called an end to their bickering, clearly annoyed by the situation, "Just...follow me. I want you to meet someone." She didn't get to reply as he gently grabbed her by the wrist and began guiding her away from the main doors to the back entrance of the building. Lucy didn't even know this place had a back entrance.

She noticed Natsu pulling his scarf over his mouth as a sort of makeshift mask. He also had his hood to the point it covered his eyes and when they reached the back doors, he let go of her wrist and shoved his hand into his pocket. The other one pushed on the door and all at once they were outside. Lucy swears she heard him hiss when they were greeted to the blaring sun but she ignored it as he crossed the car park that, again, she never knew existed.

The lone concrete area looked mostly abandoned save for a few sad cars dotted here and there, with weeds growing freely through cracks in the surface and even clambering over some of the vehicles that had obviously not been moved in years. Something told Lucy that she should be glad to have never set foot in this area before, especially when the weeds suddenly became thicker around her ankles and she found herself clinging onto Natsu's sleeve to stop herself from stumbling. It was pathetic really.

"What even is this place?" Lucy muttered as she attempted to untangle her leg from a particularly tall, stubborn tuft of grass.

"It used to belong to a bar that existed a few years back. Phantom something," Natsu explained as he bent down to help her, staying as far as he possibly could in her shadow to avoid the sun, "Some chick was attacked and left for dead by a group of thugs. They escaped but the woman was in pretty bad shape when the caretakers found her the next morning. After that, they knocked down the whole building and replaced it with the apartment block but this whole lot was never advertised a lot to begin with so not many people really know about it or use it. A couple of these cars were just left here after the bar closed and no one's bothered to move them since."

He seemed to know a lot about this town's history. Wait, what was she saying? Of course he did! If he was really as old as he'd said than he would probably know more about this town than anyone alive in it at that moment. That was providing everything he had told her was true. "Did the woman survive?" Lucy mentally slapped herself for prying but she couldn't help herself.

"Yeah. But I hear it was a close call. Someone with her injuries should've died but she just didn't." Natsu shrugged, "It was pretty big news until this whole attack business with the 'Magnolia Vampire'." She noticed the hint of disgust in his tone, "As if they could have picked a worse name." Lucy stopped herself from asking one of the questions that had been playing on her mind since yesterday evening. She didn't want to ask him but she knew she had to, even if it was just to put her mind to rest. Asking him if he had been involved in such hanous crimes would surely anger him.

When he led her to a hidden space at the very end of the lot, her curiousness was replaced with shock upon noticing the sleek black car hidden amongst a curtain of trees and leaves. Natsu chuckled at her reaction before opening a door and gesturing for her to go inside. The blonde complied, but not before stopping to admire the vehicle's streamline design. This was probably the most extravagant object this dreary corner of Manolia had to offer. It was...It was just beautiful.

"This is yours?!" She was finally able to squeak out, earning a brief snicker of amusement from the pinkette.

"Obviously. Who else would it belong to?" She assumed Gray but then again, she doubted he would let Natsu even touch such a fine creation with the amount of destructive complaints that had appeared in the time since Natsu became her neighbour. Her eyes landed on a terribly concealed box of motion sickness patches in the little space between the seats and she was able to swallow the laughter bubbling in her throat. So it seemed Natsu had other weaknesses from the ones he had revealed. She wondered just what other details he was yet to reveal.

"Buckle up Luce. Ain't goin' anywhere 'til you do."

"I'm not a child Natsu." She scoffed, scowling.

"Could've fooled me." Natsu smirked as Lucy swatted at his arm. He pretended to be frightened of her but the blonde simply glared, unimpressed, at his childish antics, inadvertently furthering his amusement. In that brief moment, they were back to normal. It was as if the previous revelations of the night before had all been forgotten. They were normal again.

Such a shame really, that their playfulness only lasted a few, precious seconds.

* * *

The journey was short and to a place she definitely would not have expected. Even through the tainted, black out windows, she could make out the brief outline of the bar known as Fairy Tail. Whatever excitement or anticipation she had been feeling dissolved and in its place came disappointment, with some traces of annoyance.

What was so secretive about a god damn bar that he had her fearing for her safety? Who does that? He'd taken her here before so it wasn't exactly unknown to her but for some unknown reason, he blatantly refused to tell her what the hell was so important no matter how many times she asked. She found herself walking behind him as they entered the building, the whole time being greeted with silence every time she questioned her companion's reasoning.

This whole situation just seemed tedious and disappointing, and the blonde didn't shy away from masking the annoyance on her face either. But Natsu still refused to answer. Instead he chose to simply lean on the main counter as his eyes scanned the area for a particular person. Finally, she saw him wave over to the person in question and beckon them to come closer.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?" A small, purple haired woman greeted him with a timid, curious smile. Her eyes cautiously brushed over to Lucy and widened in fear as she quickly whispered something to the pinkette. Lucy assumed he reassured her during their hushed conversation but she really had no idea.

"Kinana, this is Lucy. She's a...friend of mine." He seemed to hesitate, sparking suspicion from both women, "Is anyone else in by chance?"

"I...well...yes. But-"

"Reckon we could see 'em?"

"Natsu, I don't think that's a good idea." The woman glanced back at Lucy as she said this. Natsu briefly turned back to look at her as well but didn't seem as worried as he probably should have been. "I think it'll be fine." He muttered, keeping his gaze locked firmly on the blonde before turning back to face Kinana, "Luce won't be an issue."

Kinana was obviously conflicted but eventually she sighed, muttering an instruction for them to follow her as she led them through a maze of tables to a door tucked snugly in a sheltered corner of the room, "Just...be careful." At this point, Lucy noticed the woman's red eyes. They were the same shade as Natsu's when he turned into that beast. A shudder ran up Lucy's spine, thoughts sparking in her mind that told her this place was so much more than a simple bar.

The waitress kindly unlocked the door for them to reveal a long, winding staircase leading into a pit of total darkness save for a few torches dotted into hollowed slots in the walls. It was like a medieval tower of sorts but Lucy did not voice her thoughts. Natsu picked one of the torches up by the door and grabbed her wrist again, beginning to lead her carefully down the stair case. He muttered a quick thanks to Kinana and then the rest of their descent was spent in silence.

She didn't fail to notice the way the flickering flame dimly illuminated the features it touched. It may have been dim, but the soft orange glow dipping perfectly in and out of the features on Natsu's face allowed her to, for the first time, really see what he looks like. Of course, she realised she was staring when his eyes suddenly snapped towards her and she ducked her head away, embarrassed, and missed the sly grin that seemed to ghost his lips.

"Take a picture Luce. It'll last longer."

"Oh shut up." She muttered. This time he didn't even try to hide his laugh as they neared the end of the stair case, the torch light barely reaching into the shadows but momentarily resting on the outline of yet another door. Whatever amusement Natsu had before, it had disappeared. Now, he seemed almost nervous. Concerned even. Lucy saw his body tense as they stood staring at the ageing door, neither one of them moving a muscle until she gently tugged his sleeve to grab his attention.

"This was a bad idea." She heard him mutter but didn't get to ask why as he slowly pushed open the wooden slab and light flooded the otherwise dark pit. The shouting and partying that had been going on before hand simmered down and Lucy knew, even before she stepped out from hiding behind Natsu, that everyone was staring at them.

His shoulders seemed to relax slightly but he still held a rather defensive position, as if he was waiting on someone attacking him. Lucy did not dare step out from behind him but he couldn't blame her really. The moment they stepped through the door, all eyes had turned to them. Even if they couldn't see her, everyone in that room knew she was there. The reason none of them had gone after was because of the overly protective barrier that came in the form of Natsu.

With such an air of careful caution, he turned to the blonde with a reassuring grin. She was still quivering behind him, almost close enough to bury her face in his jacket. Though that wouldn't have been too bad. She kind of liked the smell of campfires and forests she could sense when she was around him. The other people, the ones they had interrupted, where now edging closer to the pair with a growing curiosity. Though once Natsu shot a deadly glare, a warning, in their direction, they stopped.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail Luce." He muttered, "The _real_ Fairy Tail."


	12. But She's Not Like Us

**I feel like the worst part of writing this, despite how much I love it, is the fact that writer's block seems to have become a permanent fixture in my life at the moment. It is the worst, especially considering I've been trying to finish this damn chapter for weeks but have never actually been able to write ANYTHING because my brain seems to have forgotten how to function properly. So you will find that this chapter is slightly shorter than the ones I have been posting recently. Whether or not that affects the quality of it is a decision I will let you all decide!**

 **On a totally unrelated note, I recently watched a Fairy Tail AMV to "If You Could See Me Now" and...well let's just say, even my icy heart melted a bit. Dammit! Why am I such a softy?**

 **RainbowMagic657: I don't mind at all. Now that he's shown her the real Fairy Tail, I can introduce other characters and plot points. So stick around and you'll find out just what this will mean for the story!**

 **TabbyCat: A mini movie huh? That's kinda the angle I was going for actually! Glad it's working out. I had to try and make some kind of lore behind the story and the information I'm revealing in the chapters is supposed to all tie into the end. Somehow...Providing I do it right!**

* * *

 _'Previously on: When Worlds Collide_

 _Natsu gave Lucy a brief glimpse into his past but there's still more he refuses to tell her. Now armed with the knowledge of what he is, she follows him blindly on a journey that has more in store for her than she originally imagined._

 _Welcome to Fairy Tail Lucy. The real Fairy Tail_

* * *

Bravely, the blonde peaked over Natsu's shoulder to the crowd in front of them. All eyes were on them, some were happy. Others were cold. Some people were sneering, some were smiling. But all of them were just staring at the pair with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Natsu began walking towards an area she deemed the bar and he gestured for her to follow, an order to which she readily complied as she noticed some people curiously edging closer to her. Everyone was staring. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Hey," She heard him mutter softly, breaking her from whatever trance she had been under during the period of her just staring back at them, "Relax. They won't hurt you."

"Natsu," A rather stern yet familiar voice spoke from behind them. It was angry for sure and the deadly aura that emitted from them frightened the rest of the bar patrons back into their seats, though they occasionally stole glances towards the pair. "I wasn't expecting you today." Mirajane's calm tone was forced. Her posture was stiff and Lucy could see she was trying ever so hard to avoid meeting the blonde's gaze. "Really? Could've sworn I called you. Or was it Elfman? Either way, someone knew I was coming today."

Something told her that the smug smirk Natsu threw at Mira wasn't helping the situation. The woman seemed to grip the wood of the counter so hard that it was beginning to splinter though she didn't notice as she chose to scowl at the pinkette instead. There was some kind of clear animosity between the two but their glare was also civil. It was unlikely the two were going to break out in some kind of fight no matter how much they may want to, though Lucy wouldn't put it past them to do just that.

"Well no one informed me." Mira grit her teeth through her fake smile. The pure anger she felt towards Natsu at that very moment was very prominent in her eyes: bubbling, red pools of hatred that seemed to only grow more furious with each passing second. "Who's your friend?"

"You remember Lucy right? I brought her here...last week I think it was." Not once did their locked gazes ever falter. This was a battle to see who would back down first and though it may not be obvious at first, both individuals were standing their ground. The bar maid shot one look at Lucy, glancing her up and down, and a look of disgust crossed her face until realisation seemed to dawn on her and it was replaced with a slight hint of concern instead. The horror. The woman seemed to tense even more though this time seemingly more out of fear than anything else. She hissed something under her breath, her eyes full of panic, and dragged Natsu to the other end of the bar. Just like with Kinana, their conversation was mumbled and hurried. Mira's hand gestures were frantic as she tried desperately to keep her voice hushed, her gaze constantly darting back to Lucy and then once again to Natsu.

But Natsu didn't seem as frantic as the white haired woman eventhough whatever they were talking about had spooked her. In fact, he seemed almost bored by it. Every time Lucy had glanced over at the pair, his scowl seemed to have only grown. And it seemed the other patrons were also noticing as their attention had diverted from Lucy and had now gradually focused on the bickering pair, who had failed to notice that every pair of eyes in the room were staring at them.

"Because she's not like us!" Mira's screech suddenly rang out through the air. It was then that Lucy knew, without a doubt, that they were most likely talking about her. She had suspected as much beforehand but now it was clear. Obviously Mira hadn't meant her outburst but when she realised what had been said, she didn't take it back. No. She just continued to stare daggers at Natsu, who scowled back with such a look of disdain plastered onto his features. He looked as if he was ready to dive at the woman, in a fashion similar to the way he had attacked Bora, and Lucy didn't deny the fact that he was probably more than capable of ripping her head from her shoulders in an instant. God knows she'd seen him try it before, even if it was just brief.

Her memories of the previous week were returning. Slowly but surely, the events that had transpired before hand were coming back to her and she didn't know what to think of them. Now, with the secrets of the world she'd always known unravelling themselves right in front of her, she was struggling to make sense of her reality. What was real and what was fake? If vampires were real who's to say other mythical monsters, that she had come to know as nothing more than fantasy stories, didn't exist in the shadows of the city?

She was no closer to understanding this new world and yet she had been dragged into what she could only assume was a room of blood sucking demons who all, at that moment, had their eyes sharply trained on her. It sent a shiver of fear up her spine and she willed her body to move towards the door until she suddenly felt someone gripping softly at her wrist, though something told her he wouldn't stop her from leaving here if she really wanted to.

"Now listen up everyone 'cause I'm only gonna say this once," the sharp bite to Natsu's words rung out across the room. Everyone's muttering suddenly ceased as he stole their attention. There was just something about him when he was this serious that commanded people to acknowledge his presence, even if he hadn't said anything. "Lucy is a friend, and if any of you bastards think to even threaten her," He glared at Mira and a few other people in the room, "You'll have to deal with me." Something told her that wasn't a good idea on their part, "She stays here. It's safe and she deserves to know about us considering what she's been through. And if anyone's got a problem with that than you can keep your fucking mouth shut or I'll rip your fangs from your gums in an instant. Understood?"

Several people nodded which seemed to satisfy the terrifying individual that was still clinging to her wrist. It wasn't in a painful way, if anything he was protecting her, but she just didn't see why it was necessary. Or why the threats to these people were necessary either, though she wouldn't question it aloud. Especially not around him. For now she'd just stay silent and let him deal with it. He obviously knew them to some extent and so who was she to question their interactions? This could be a totally normal occurrence for all she knew so she really had no right to question his actions towards them. Though it did seem just slightly overboard...

Looking around the room, she realised she recognised a few of the individuals who were still casting cautious glances at the pair after Natsu had led her to a far corner or the bar. On one table, she noticed a family who lived in the same building as them. What was their name again? The Connels? She remembers the encounter she had with their daughter a few moths ago. After that, she hadn't really seen them around much anymore. Other people she recognised from her later night shifts at Starry Heavens, though she had never actually had a proper conversation with them and doubted they remembered her.

Natsu wasn't paying attention to any of them as he had kept his face directed away from their general direction. He seemed totally unfazed by their curiosity now but the scowl that was still etched on his features told her he was hiding his true thoughts from the rest of them. Even with his head ducked down, staring idly at the wood of the table, she could see the anger still simmering within him. It seems Mira's words had had more of an effect than she had realised and he was really trying to refrain from a violent outburst she imagined he was quite able to easily carry out. To be honest, it was terrifying to so close to him. It had been all day but the fact he was even willing to threaten a room full of his own kind was just...madness. Did he really have so much confidence in his abilities or was he just an idiot?

It was probably a bit of both but she didn't doubt he was more powerful than he looked. All of them were and they could probably all tear her to shreds at the drop of a hat if they had wanted to, but they wouldn't do so as long as Natsu's threatening words still lingered in their minds. At least she was thankful for that. Knowing they wouldn't hurt her, yet, brought her some reassurance. But it wasn't much and she still felt her skin prickle whenever she caught one of them staring at her.

"Natsu," She began quietly, catching his gaze snap to look at her, "Why did you bring me here?" Her tone carried both curiosity and anger. He could have told her that he was dragging her to a room filled with these beasts but he didn't. This whole thing was a surprise, one that was not welcome, and it only added onto the shock of the previous night. She was probably even more scared now than she had been this morning! But at the same time, he had his reasons. Something last night had told him he had to bring her here and she really wanted to know why he believed it was so important she knew this place existed.

He seemed to hesitate before he answered her. "Because there are other monsters out there like Bora. Those who treat humans as nothing more than useless playthings. They think you're all just objects that they can mistreat and torture now that they have abilities that put them in an entirely different league as humanity. They take pleasure in torturing your race eventhough they themselves were once a part of it. Fair enough, some of them only use humanity to feed and that's that. But there are those who find amusement in the twisted torturing of a race who don't know how to defend themselves against us. It makes me sick." He seemed...sad? Why? "They were all created because of me Lucy. It's my fault that they exist. Because I couldn't control myself and was like all of them at one point, feeding off of humans as if they were easily replaceable and not realising the consequences of my actions until it was too late."

She realised the whole room was staring at them again, though this time their attention was directed at Natsu instead. Their faces were sympathetic eventhough they had already heard this a thousand times before, not that she knew that though, and they held onto his every word. "A few centuries ago, I was in a dark place. Until I found Fairy Tail and they helped me rediscover my humanity again. Because of them, I still have some decency left in me. I love humanity and they made me see why what I was doing was wrong. They helped me and because of that, I know that they won't hurt you Lucy, I know I can trust them. They're all against the idea of hurting humans and I brought you here because I know, now that you have a target on your back, they will keep you safe if there's ever a time when I can't be there to."

Although she understood the sentiment of his little speech, the last part sparked suspicion somewhere deep within her. It was almost as if he was planning on disappearing, as if one day he would just suddenly cease to exist in her life. Was he in some kind of trouble? And would it affect her now as well? Surely not. He had promised to tell her if she was ever in danger. Or had she only imagined that? Perhaps not and it had only been implied, but he would surely not hide it from her if she was in danger again. Especially if it was because of him. But there was a certain look in his eye that told her he was definitely hiding _something_.

There was a look of what she could only describe as pure fear. It was hidden but she could pick it out considering it was such a foreign emotion to see him show, not that he showed many more emotions than happiness and anger anyway. She didn't know what to think of it but he must have realised that she noticed because in an instant it was gone. His features relaxed, the tension in his body eased away and he slumped once again in his seat as if that whole exchange had not happened. But he was hiding something, something important, and right now he would refuse to tell her until he was absolutely sure she needed to know. After all, there were still parts of his life that even the other vampires in the room had no idea about.

He loved humanity but it would take a lot for him to express his darkest secrets to a mere mortal soul just because they asked. Last time he had, things hadn't exactly gone in his favour. He wasn't going to make that mistake twice, at least not until he knew without a doubt that Lucy could be trusted. But something about her told him that he could trust her with anything, he was just scared to do so. Not that she would ever learn that either. Everyone's allowed to have their secrets. The things he'd told her didn't even begin to scrape the bottom of the sad, little barrel of misery that was his life.

There were things that, should they come to light, would turn even the bravest of humanity into cowering wrecks.

* * *

 _The Previous Night:_

Not long after he received the first message from the figure known as 'Z', two others followed suite. They sent him into a frenzy as he realised what these particular images meant. He was being watched. And he knew exactly who was behind it all but now his priorities lay with protecting Lucy. _He_ obviously knew where she was now and it probably wouldn't be long before he sent his other minions out to target her. Lucy was one of the only things that they could use to ensure Natsu did whatever they demanded and he knew all too well the lengths they would go to to capture her.

He had witnessed their brutality first hand in the past and it was only a matter of time before they would strike again. They had a plan and some part of that now involved Lucy. And it was Natsu's fault for leading them to her in the first place. But it didn't matter because he swore in that moment to protect her with everything he had. Something about her was different from other humans he knew, he could sense it, and although he didn't know what it was that made her different, it didn't matter. She was special, both to him and also in a sense that she was different. That alone was enough to persuade him to protect her. Well that and the fact he enjoyed her company. But don't tell her that! He'd probably never live it down...

The next few hours were spent trailing around Lucy's apartment to ensure every possible entrance into the place was securely locked. Every place for someone, or something, to hide was also investigated to ease his paranoia. He knew that they wouldn't be so stupid as to attack yet but he could never be too careful. It was entirely possible that they could surprise him instead and show that they weren't as predictable as he had initially assumed.

That was something that even he was afraid of.

There aren't a lot of things that will strike fear into the unbeating heart of an immortal being, but the threat he was sure he was dealing with was enough to do just that. Even after years of back and forth conflict between him and the other individual he so greatly feared, like many others of his kind, there was still that lingering idea of time running out. He knew he wouldn't be able to run much longer but he just hoped that they would strike when Lucy was no longer around to be caught in the firing line. Despite how morbid that may make him seem, to wish that they would only initiate their plan of destruction when one person was no longer around to be hurt, it was something he genuinely hoped for. She didn't deserve this but he had dragged her into it, now he would be forced to deal with the consequences of his actions.

Receiving the third and final photo that night, one of Lucy's front door, only confirmed his fears. He felt some form of reassurance in knowing he had already locked every possible entrance for those beasts to use but now they knew where he was. More importantly, they knew where she was. And so, despite his better judgement, he did the last thing he had wanted do that night due to knowing full well what it would mean. He would be showing them he was scared. But they probably already knew that anyway. And if he was really going to go up against them, he would need all the help he could get.

So with a great deal of resistance and hesitation on his part, he finally dialled the one number he had been avoiding for such a long time. If anyone knew more about the threat he was facing, it was the person who picked up the other line. Parts of him had hoped they would ignore his calls like he usually did theirs, but they didn't. No, his call was picked up straight away and the first thing he heard was the disdain lacing their tone.

 _"Well isn't this a surprise."_

* * *

"Natsu?" Lucy waved a hand in front of his face to drag him back to reality. He must have zoned out when he was recalling the previous night's events, the newest secret he was sheltering. Looking up he saw the blonde's concerned face and immediately tried to wipe whatever worrying look he may have held on his features. The last thing he wanted to do at this point was worry her, or anyone else for that matter. This was his problem to deal with and he wasn't going to do the selfish thing and drag them into it. Not again.

"What? Sorry Luce, I was just thinking?"

"Did my ears deceive me? Natsu? Thinking? Those are words I never thought I'd hear together!" One of the older looker people some tables away from them cracked a joke, earning chuckles from the rest of the group and a playful scowl from Natsu who slipped out of his chair and stood accusingly in the middle of the floor. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" The others continued to laugh. And just like that, the tense atmosphere that had previously hung over the room easily evaporated. They were all comfortable again and despite Lucy's lingering wariness, she found herself spending more and more time here in the next few coming weeks.

They were all friendly towards her as she spent more time with them. No longer did they tip toe around what they said. She wasn't cautious of their vampirish nature and so long as she was there with Natsu, she held complete confidence that she was safe whilst in their presence. Though she doubted they would attack her anyway. If it hadn't been for discovering the hidden den under Fairy Tail, the den she had nicknamed as their "Nest", she would probably still be terrified to leave her apartment.

But whilst she gradually became more comfortable with the new knowledge she possessed, Natsu found himself looking over his shoulder more so than usual. The sense of paranoia was more prominent in him now than it had been in previous years and it only grew as time went on. He couldn't hide out in Fairy Tail forever, not with evil that was gathering rapidly in the shadows. The evil that he was thankful his blonde companion was blissfully unaware of. Somehow he maintained the facade he had always held though, the people around him completely in the dark as to the growing pit of repressed emotions that was slowly bubbling away inside of him. They would find out what he was hiding when he couldn't hide it any longer, the truth coming out in an explosion of emotion as was usually the case when it came to Natsu. But for now he would keep it hidden. He would keep all of it hidden. His emotions. His secrets. His past.

Because if there was one thing Natsu was good at, it was hiding.


	13. Don't Hide Away

**Ok, so, before you read this chapter bare in mind that it rears away from the story ever so slightly. Not by much but there are no, real major developments that I can think of. It's mainly Natsu-centric, because I haven't done a proper one of them yet, and it's just to give everyone an insight into what he's thinking now that his secret is out. All of the chapters have followed Lucy so far, so this is the beginning of his story I suppose. There's also a glimpse into the type of friendship Mira and Natsu have considering I wrote it with more animosity than anticipated last time, and that's not the way I want it to be.**

 **RainbowMagic657: Aw I know! But don't worry, in time all will be revealed.**

 **TabbyCat: I won't say if you're right or wrong, but their identity will be revealed at some point in the future (though it's probably plainly obvious at this point). I've known exactly how I wanted to portray Natsu from the get-go and there are other things still yet to be revealed in terms of his character. Now whether or not the whole thing between Lucy, Natsu and Fairy Tail works out, well...you'll just have to wait and see!**

 **JustSomething: Externally, she's perfectly cool with the whole situation but internally that's a different matter entirely! And yes, yes it will happen soon. Not saying when but things are indeed going to happen.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

His secrets would go unrevealed for some time. With Lucy finally coming to terms with the fact that humanity had lived for centuries alongside his kind without so much as an inkling into the danger they were in, he distracted himself by showing her the workings of his world, how vampires have been able to go undetected for so long, never once giving away anything that may have told someone he was hiding anything from them. But anyone who had spent enough time around him would know he would crack eventually.

However, for now, he was determined that they would be none the wiser to the inner demons that were gradually gnawing away at his mind, becoming more difficult to tame with every day that passed. They wanted out and he knew, if he didn't find some way to lock them away for good, they would finally break free. Right now the only thing that was stopping him from losing control was Lucy. Or more specifically, the fact he knew how much it would terrify her. She could try and hide it all she wanted, but he knew she was still scared of him. It was obvious in the way she would move away from him or tense when she turned her back to him. Her door was now double locked, even when she was inside of her apartment. Every entrance was sealed. He'd noticed she was carrying that knife of hers around more and more now. And he knew part of the reason she was still terrified was because of him.

Sure Bora's attack had something to do with it, but Natsu was the one who revealed this whole world to her.

Eventhough she was scared of him, and refused to admit it, he still found himself guarding her more and more on a night at her insistence. It had gotten to the point where, both to the delight and annoyance of his roommate, he spent more time at her apartment than his own. He was her unofficial guard dog of sorts, because he knew that her attack had left a mental scar that would most likely never heal properly. She felt vulnerable and the only way she felt safe was to allow one of the main causes of her fear to be the one she reluctantly trusted to protect her.

Maybe this was why the majority of the vampire race did not become invested in human life. The only benefit they saw to humanity was the fact that, if they didn't go crazy with their feeding, they had an unlimited food supply. After that, humans were useless. They had no reason to care for their health or well being as it did not affect them. Why should they care if one human were to die? There are billions of others in the world to choose from. One measly soul was not worth their time or protection and so the majority of the blood sucking vermin this world had to offer did not bother with humanity unless it was time to feed. It's almost hard to believe that, once upon a time, he was like that to.

He hasn't told her the extent of how bad his deadly dependence on the sweet, red elixir became because he knows that he'll never be able to fix the damage it has caused. She'll see more of a monster than she already does and his chances of losing her will only just increase. Strangely enough, he didn't want that to happen. Whatever reasons he may claim to have for keeping her around, they would only be half truthful. He enjoyed her company and somehow, without even trying, she made him feel more human than he had in years. Obviously she wasn't the only human he knew, but none of them had that effect on him. They hadn't in a while.

There was the fact that, for the first few months in which their now fragile friendship had developed, she had no idea as to the secret he kept and he liked that. Eventhough there were obviously others like her who didn't know, she was different in the sense that she didn't treat him as something different. She never really pried about his past and she always put up with his strange antics. He was comfortable around her and, for a brief period, did not worry about the consequences of being around her because it was in those instances that he forgot what he was. The monster that he hid. Of course, that was always until the throbbing pangs of hunger made themselves known and there were times he found himself almost losing control over the boundaries he had set.

For those of his kind that did not rely on humanity for survival, it was an extremely difficult task to restrain yourself when battling hunger in the presence of humans. Sometimes you give into temptation when the pain becomes too great, when the burning in your throat can no longer be ignored. It was always a vampire's natural instinct to go after humans. The sound of blood rushing through their veins alongside the beating of their hearts was sometimes just too much for them. And with such an array to choose from, is it any wonder that they have survived so long? The substitutions he normally relied on were disgusting. Animals did not have the same sweetness that humans did. It was horrid to drink from them, the bland taste lingering too long on his taste buds and leaving his mouth dry afterwards. There was always the use of blood banks, but when their food source was not fresh it turned from sweet to painfully sour. That was the main problem of blood banks, and just the avoidance of actual human blood in general.

But these were his alternatives to draining the human race and he would rather go with these than kill an innocent soul for the sake of it. Drinking from a human doesn't necessarily always kill them but the other risks involved were something he was not willing to go through again. He became too carried away in his earlier years and look what happened as a result: a whole hoard of vicious beasts like him with more being created every day. Spending so much time with Lucy had threatened to revert him back to his old ways more than once when the call of hunger popped up again but he had miraculously been able to repress these beastly urges and seek out other means of soothing the burning. The longest he'd gone with ignoring it, in his history of being a vampire, was at least a week though it had left him severely ill afterwards.

That was another thing she was never allowed to know. Whilst he feels a strange urge to protect her, he also has another, more dangerous, urge to make her exactly like him. To curse her with the same demons he has been forced to live with for over four centuries of torture. Even with the multitude of people like him and the tight knit group he had found in Fairy Tail, he was lonely. They all had their own lives, their own families and friends waiting for them when they returned home but all of these were luxuries he had denied himself for fear of hurting them once again. He wanted Lucy to be his companion, to ease his loneliness, and it would be so easy to make her turn. To force her to be like him and live out the rest of her days as an immortal soul whether she liked it or not. But he won't. He would never dot that to her, or anyone in fact.

He refuses to let anyone else become a monster at his hand again, even if that means destroying his own race in the process. You see, there's a reason that even the most seasoned of beasts wouldn't dare touch him, unless they have a death wish, why the creatures in Fairy Tail listen to him with such obedience. He was the first one of them ever created and it was due to him that the rest of them are what they are. If he were to die, the curse would be lifted and they would all perish with him. No one in his race was immune from this and therefore, eventhough he definitely was not the most respected vampire to walk the earth, it was very rare someone deemed it safe to cross paths with him. It was a battle they would not win.

Maybe that was the reason he had told Lucy how to kill him. He wanted her to be the one to end this torture, to finally rid the world of his kind once and for all. The only reason he hasn't done it yet was because the second curse his brother forced upon him forbids him from carrying out the very act of ending his miserable existence. But there's no rule that says Lucy can't do it. She doesn't know this, and he was determined she never would, but she was the person he would trust the most to finally put an end to him should he lose control. They may have only known each other a few months but he trusted that, should it become necessary, she would do it. She wasn't like normal humans and he couldn't figure out why, but that didn't mean he didn't trust her. If only she could trust him again...

He'd watched her becoming more comfortable around the others in Fairy Tail and they had, eventually, welcomed her with open arms, but it wasn't the same. Every time he asked her how she was feeling, he would always get the same rehearsed excuse over and over again. By this point he was certain she believed it herself, but deep down she was hurting. Maybe keeping such a life changing secret to himself would have been better for all of them but there was still a selfish part of him that believed it was all for the best. Who cares that someone else was miserable now?

He'd finally been able to release the burden that had weighed so heavily on his chest for so, so many agonisingly long years. But the other part of him, the more moral side, berated him every time this thought graced his mind. It was wrong for him to drag yet another innocent bystander into this mess. Fair enough if she had been turned by Bora, then he could have told her, but she was normal. The venom hadn't affected her and he'd brought an outsider into their nest even after the rules he personally contributed to that forbid it. Oh he was such a hypocrite.

The rules were based more on his personal experiences than anything else as there were things in this world he didn't want the others to have to go through. There weren't many people in Fairy Tail who actually knew of his past or the things he has suffered through, and even fewer people knew of the dark war he internally waged in his mind every day of his life. It was never in their interest to question how he felt, what he thought. They all just assumed he was the happy go lucky man child he tried to portray, when in reality he was a miserable, self loathing monster who believed he did not deserve the immortality that had been so selfishly cursed upon him. He was a walking corpse, something that defied nature and science. He shouldn't exist but he was forced to. Even if he wanted to end the existence he had developed a deep hatred for, he couldn't.

And believe me, he's tried.

Lucy was the first exception to the strict barriers he had insisted Fairy Tail put in place and he was the first person to ever break his own rules. No one else had dared to do it and although it may make him look entitled, he regretted it every day that he witnessed the blonde mingling with the monsters he helped to create. They were good people, really they were, however he could never be sure when or if they would embrace the urges they all tried to repress. He knows the struggle they go through to do so and he can see the battle they fight to stop from pouncing at the girl, even if this had become less obvious as of late, because he still fought the same battles with increasing ferocity. Something about her blood, or the aura she gave off, was just too tempting to pass up even for the most reserved of his kind. Yet they managed to tame themselves for now. He just had to figure out how to do the same.

He had noticed more and more how he was fighting his vampire form from taking over. The feeling of his fangs tucked away in his gums, something he had become used to and ignored easily, was now seemingly more prominent and they were urging to be let loose. A voice in his head told him she wouldn't be missed when in reality she would be, by him especially, and another voice told him that he was cruel for even thinking it. He was going crazy and he knew it. She was driving him to the brink of insanity but that wasn't going to push him away. All he had to stop himself from draining her dry was sheer willpower at this point.

He's been watching her over the past few weeks. The way in which she had been welcomed by the others was incredible, even if they had been wary at first and probably still were to some degree. But now she was acting like it was the most normal thing in the world to be around them. As if she'd known her whole life that vampires existed and was completely fine being the only mortal in a room filled with blood sucking, human killing demons.

"Natsu...?" That was what he found himself doing now, watching her from across the bar, until Mira placed a drink down in front off him. The waitress broke him from his thoughts of self loathing and hatred with her usual peaceful tone. Like everyone else, she had been making an effort to get to know Lucy as well eventhough she was obviously not the most comfortable with the idea. No one could blame her though. She had her reasons and they all knew it. He should have checked that she of all people was ok with having a human around their den. But he was selfish and didn't.

"Yeah?" He asks, slightly confused before his regular smile overtook his features again, "Oh. Sorry. I was just spacing out I guess." Mira seemed less than impressed with his act. She'd known him longer than anyone else in the bar so she could tell when something was on his mind, but she also knew that he wouldn't tell her no matter how much she asked. "Don't look at me like that," He scolds her, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He was not successful in convincing the woman that he was being entirely truthful but she was not going to fight him on the subject. Not today anyway. There had been one to many a time when she had tried and failed to get him to talk. Any other time she spoke to him he was the most extroverted person she knew but when it came to talking about how he feels or what was on his mind, he was closed off and always changed the subject. The only emotion they knew how to deal with when it came to Natsu was anger, and even that came with its problems.

"So..." Mira began again, "Lucy seems to be settling in well."

"Yeah," A soft smile graced his features as their gazes travelled towards the blonde, who was currently sat laughing at something with the Connel family. They knew each other beforehand but very rarely spoke until she had found them here. At first she was terrified at the fact that more than one vampire lived so close to her but she had gradually warmed to the idea, even is she was still tense when she was close to them. Natsu had found that, eventhough she fit in quite nicely with them, he still worried about her if he wasn't by her side even if she was in the same room. It was a weird feeling and he didn't like it but he had gotten used to it lately. Still though, he still found himself checking over his soldier occasionally to check she was alright.

Apparently, this hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone. They'd all felt the need to mention it at some point but after the third or fourth time, he just learned to ignore them. It was none of their business why he decided to hang around with her. She was his friend. A human friend at that. Obviously he was going to be worried when she was surrounded by them, even if he knew they wouldn't harm her.

"Aw! You really do care for her!" Mira chimed, which resulted in Natsu snapping his head back to the bar again. Thankfully she didn't see the sea of red his cheeks had been painted in but her giggling told him she had already gotten the reaction she wanted. "Oh don't be such a baby Natsu. It's nice to see you caring for something other than that damned cat of yours." She smiled, "Even if that something is a human."

"At least Happy doesn't pry into my private life," Natsu muttered. Though he was sure the cat would happily join Mira's teasing if it could talk, "And I don't 'care' for her as you put it. I just..."

"You just what?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. It's just nice having someone around that isn't a vampire for a change. Someone who doesn't treat me like some kind of monster, or act like I'm an idiot." There were obviously other reasons in his head as to why he liked having her around so much and Mira knew this, but she was happy with the answer she had gotten from him for now. It was probably the best she was going to get, "Besides, with Bora and his cronies still out there somewhere, someone needs to protect her."

"And that someone's you is it?"

"Who else would it be?" A question that had a very obvious answer to the both of them but he would rather die again before he handed her over to _them._ Hunters and vampires weren't on the best of terms, considering they were paid to obliterate his race, and Magnolia had a very powerful hunter group who would happily help Lucy "escape" Natsu's clutches. In their minds any human that comes into contact with vampires, especially those that frequented Fairy Tail, was in danger and had to be protected at all costs. Maybe he should have taken Lucy to them after her attack but he couldn't bring himself to hand her over those devils yet.

They knew she was with him though and if his current situation were to get any worse, he knew he would have to introduce her to them. But not yet. Not until he was absolutely sure that they were a necessary option (which they probably would be with the battle he was fighting). That was a problem for another day.

"It's weird, isn't it? You haven't been so close to a human since-" Mira stopped herself. Natsu knew why. It still hurt to talk about it and he doubted she had fully come to terms with it yet. He still hadn't either. "I know." Was his simple reply. The two of them had an understanding when it came to this particular topic. It was one of the very few areas they avoided when speaking to anyone, including each other. She never asked about his past and he never mentioned the event that had left a lasting scar on Mira and her brother.

"I'm not trying to replace her you know." He spoke softly, in a tone that not even the sensitive hearing of those around them would pick up, "Lucy's great and all, but she'll never replace her. You know that, right?" The woman nodded slowly with a sad smile on her face. It was something he had said a few times to her in the past few weeks and she believed him, really she did, but sometimes she couldn't but wonder if he was being entirely truthful. It was easy to tell when he was lying about small things, but not even she could tell what was really going on in his head. No one could. "It's been so long Natsu. I wouldn't blame you if you moved on and-"

"Like that would ever happen." Natsu was completely serious now, something she was not used to seeing on him often. It was a look that was very rarely directed at her alone. "No matter how many centuries go by, I'll never forget it. Ever." And that was a promise. Mira looked to be on the verge of tears but that was always the case when they dared to tread on the current subject. It was a sign that he should change the topic of conversation before she really did break down, which was a sight no one could bare to witness, and so he quickly began on a completely random topic, which seemed to cheer to woman up immediately.

He could still see the lingering sadness in her eyes, the same thing that had been there for the past century or so, but like him, she tried to hide it, so he didn't question it. That was another thing they had a mutual understanding of, not questioning how they both felt. It was obvious when something was wrong with them but they both preferred it when neither of them brought attention to it unless they believed it was something serious. It was a comfortable arrangement. Maybe it wasn't the most healthy of agreements but they had kept it for so many years now that it was normal and unlikely to be changing any time soon.

* * *

"No prizes for guessing what they're talking about." Lucy heard one of the men on the table next to her say. She followed their gaze over to the bar where she saw Natsu and Mira deep in conversation. Whatever they were talking about seemed to have Mira tearing up and so she had assumed Natsu had said something to upset her, but then everything smoothed out between them again. It was obvious that the pair of them were close and she could see that now despite what she had thought when seeing them interact before hand. They weren't glaring or sharing cold remarks towards one another. She was almost jealous of the fact he was so comfortable with the woman.

Obviously it was a stupid thought. Natsu had already told her that they'd grown up together. This was before she knew he was a vampire of course, which she had recently realised that that fact placed both of them being at least over 400 hundred years old considering what Natsu had told her. Of course they were close with each other. Mira was probably Natsu's oldest friend. There was no reason for Lucy to be jealous of her. Besides, Lucy's friendship with him was just that. A friendship. And a fragile one at that.

She still didn't know what the man, Macao as she had come to learn in recent weeks, had meant when he referred to their conversation but it seemed like a personal issue the two shared. It was one she was not going to intrude on, mainly because it was definitely not her place to say anything. She might have known Natsu a good few months now but Mira, like the majority of the other people in this room, were still strangers to her. Lucy knew nothing of the events they had all undergone together and she didn't think she wanted to. Some of them had known each other for centuries. The things they would have witnessed were things people nowadays would only dream of. But parts of their lives were things that one would usually expect to see in nightmares. No one deserved to live through that.

"Anyone ev'r tell ya it's not polite to stare?" She heard Bisca chuckle from her side. Lucy's face flushed red. She'd been staring at them from across the room. Oh God, she must have looked like such a creep! "Relax. We won't tell them, right hun?" Alzack, her husband, nodded from across the table, "Hard to believe Natsu's got a girl like you so caught up on him."

"E-e-excuse me?!" Lucy blushed heavily.

The woman chuckled again, "Might not be obvious now, but you two can't seem to keep your eyes off each other. Something you wanna tell us Lucy?" Her blush deepened. Why would someone ever insinuate that? It was ridiculous! They were friends and that was it. She had enough of this from her colleagues at Starry Heavens. She didn't need it here as well.

"It's not like that!"

"I'm only messing with ya," The woman grinned, "Besides, a human and a vampire would never work." The casual way in which she says it is haunting. For some reason, it almost saddens her. But Lucy understands where she was coming from.

It was then that it dawned on her that this was always a temporary arrangement. She wasn't going to be around forever. When she dies, they'll all still go on "living" and would probably forget about her. She was just another human to them. To Natsu. She didn't matter to them. Sure it felt nice to have them around now, but who's to say it would last? Lucy wasn't immortal like them and her near death experience was just proof that she could be gone at the drop of a hat. Natsu wouldn't always be around to save her and there was no way to stop the eventual outcome that would be her death. No matter how far into the future it may be, it was always the way things were going to be.

Her existence wasn't much to them and they could get rid of her whenever they became tired of her. All of them could, even her human friends. The whole thought process was just too much for her to bare and it wasn't until she felt a tear running down her cheek that she realised how much of an impact it had on her. "I have to go now." She suddenly excused herself, much to her companions' concern but she brushed it off as having some kind of work emergency. Really she just wanted to get away from here for a while. The thought of death had never really been a concern for her before. She had accepted it as a natural part of life. But being in her current position brought to light some things she would rather forget. She needed a break.

On her way out, she felt someone tug at her arm. It was Natsu and he was looking at her with the same warm look he always gave her when he was concerned. It was sweet but she couldn't think that at the moment. She just wanted to go away and he wasn't going to stop her. "I'm fine Natsu."

"Are you sure Luce?"

"Yeah." She tries to reassure him, "I just feel a bit light headed that's all. Should probably go home and lie down." He wasn't convinced at her lie but let her go anyway, nodding and watching as she walked back up through the twisting staircase.

Mira had observed the whole scene from a far. She found it ironic to see the two of the reenact the same scene that she had previously been involved in with him, this time Natsu was playing the role of the concerned friend. Why did he hide his emotions around Lucy? It wasn't like it would be the most unusual thing for her to witness when it came to the pinkette. She had, after all, seen him in his vampire state as well as easily nearly killing one of his own kind. His emotions were probably one of the only human characteristics he had left. To hide them was almost denying the fact that, for the most part, he was just that. Human. Superhuman in fact. Supernatural.

No one could really understand what went on his head, the thoughts that clouded his mind every day, swirling around in a deep, miserable pool of self pity, hate and anger. How could they when he never showed them? Maybe with Lucy around, they would begin to see the softer side to him rather than the childish mask he wore to sway them from learning the truth. What could honestly be so bad that he felt the need to isolate himself from them?

They don't know it yet, but the past they had all tried to block out was about to come baring down on them once more.


	14. Calling Out

**Hey everyone! I'm sorry this chapter wasn't out sooner. I'm sick and I've got a few things going on at the minute that I'm not going to go into. Plus, I've got exams coming up so my stress levels are high preparing for those. Is it bad I regretted posting the last chapter almost immediately after I did? A lot of you seemed unhappy with it so, again, I am sorry for the confusion. That was a mistake on my part. I wasn't going to answer reviews in this chapter, I don't have the energy for it, but I figured it would be rude not to so i'll do it now. Probably won't be as detailed as usual but again, sorry, I don't have a lot of energy for anything lately. If I hadn't posted this chapter now it probably would have just sat on my computer until July. Anyway, enjoy.**

 **Guest: He's not necessarily in love with her anymore. He was once but he's moved on since then. Sorry if I couldn't make it more clear but all I can really say to explain it is that he never really had a proper chance to grieve for her until now. Sorry for confusing you.**

 **RainbowMagic657: Ha. You welcome. Glad you appreciate it.**

 **KJacket: Yeah, sorry. I'm trying but writers blocks a bitch. Not really an excuse for it though. I'll try harder.**

 **JustSomething: Ow wow. That's a lot. First of all, don't apologise at the end of that. The criticism is appreciated. Helps me see what I'm doing wrong. I'd rather people tell me rather than just stop reading because they don't like the way I do things. I'll try to be more consistent. Sorry.**

 **TabbyCat: Thankyou! It's a difficult thing for me to try and get across and I know I sound like I'm repeating myself when I try, so thankyou for noticing!**

* * *

 _A streak of colour flashed in front of his face. "Come on! You're so slow."_

 _"Maybe you're just too fast?"_

 _"Nope. You're too slow."_

 _Their childish bickering was sweet, relaxing. An interaction that was long overdue. Oh how long had it been since they had done this? Since they had had fun? Too long. It seems they were running somewhere, through a forest. Flurries of green and brown rushed by, birds sounded in the sky and the wonderful sense of spring was ripe in the air. It was perfect, mesmerising in fact._

 _Then suddenly, they stop. The blur in front begins to turn around but just before their face comes into view, a horrid, blood curdling scream rips through the scene. He is thrown backwards. The figure in front of him begins to twist and turn along with the scene until they disappear completely. Everything is black, empty. Someone is crying, someone else is shouting, someone is screaming. Yet he is motionless. Then, everything stops._

 _No one makes a sound. No one dares to move. Suddenly, a cold brush of air pushes past him and he's spun around to face...red? Nothing but red save for a dark blur sprawled on the floor. It was getting closer at an alarming rate, almost as if he was falling. Wait, he_ _was_ _falling. The ground seemed to be just in front of him, he would hit it soon and the last thing he would see before he did, was her lifeless, emotionless face- the fear still etched into her features._

* * *

"Oi Natsu!" He awoke with a fright as something rather hard hit against the back of his head, "Wake up! It's nearly twelve already!"

Mumbling, "Ow..." He sits up and surveys the scene. At first he is confused. This isn't his living room, which means he's definitely not in his apartment, but then the events of the previous day hit him even worse than that book had. Wait, a book? What was she thinking?! He might not be able to die but he sure could feel pain. "Dammit woman! I can't even fall asleep now without you pestering me."

"Well no one asked you to chase me down yesterday!" Lucy yelled back from the kitchen. She had retreated there after throwing the book, knowing full well that he wouldn't be happy when he woke up, "I tried waking you up before but you wouldn't budge, not even when you started screaming!" He was screaming? That was him? God, he must have made her worry, not too mention what her neighbours must have thought. He had made it a point to stay over her home less and less but apparently that wasn't happening any time soon.

Last night, after she had abruptly left Fairy Tail, he had gone after her. She was upset about something but didn't tell him much. All he could recall her saying was something about her family. Apparently, everyone in the Heartfilia clan, her mother's side of the family to be specific, had some kind of illness that meant they didn't live long. In Lucy's words, no one had made it past 35 yet. It was almost as if they were cursed. Lucy seemed to believe they were anyway. She had told him that she hadn't thought much about it until that night, she'd just accepted the fact that she was going to die. But spending so much time with him and his friends has made her reconsider some things. She wants to live more and fears she has wasted her life. Boy was that a fun night. He probably spent about an hour or so cradling her as she just cried into his shoulder. It was a horrible sight to witness but he supposed he was the only one to blame. Maybe if he had bothered to ask more about her, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe now he had more reason than ever to just back off for good.

"Hey Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have I been here?" He barely remembered falling asleep never mind getting here in the first place! The only things still fresh in his memory from the day before were the events that had happened in between those two things. Well, that and actually leaving the bar. But when was that though? It certainly wasn't just after she had left. He hadn't wanted to look like a creep but he was worried about her. Mira had given him another drink or two afterwards, meaning he was there for at least an hour after she had left, especially if the mild hangover he had was anything to go by. And yes, he could still get drunk. Even as a vampire he could never hold his liquor. "Do I look like a clock to you?"

Lucy reentered the living room, two steaming cups of coffee in hand. One was placed in front of Natsu and the other she kept for herself before taking up a seat next to him on the couch. "Uggh, you need a shower." She stated simply wrinkling her nose in disgust, "And a change of clothes. These ones are drenched in sweat. Who knew a dream could take so much out of you huh?" It was more like a nightmare, one that he used to have all the time. They had stopped a few years ago and he thought he had gotten rid of them for good. Apparently that wasn't the case.

The last couple of weeks he'd dreaded going to sleep for fear of what he may see. Every night it was something different too. Sometimes he'd see his friends at Fairy Tail, all happy and lively, until the hunters broke through the doors and slaughtered them all. Other times he would imagine being in his own apartment and witnessing one of his enemies standing over the battered remains of his roommate. And more recently, well, his dream today had been more of a memory, the last memory he held of a dear childhood friend before her untimely...passing. In this dream, her face and Lucy's had constantly swapped and changed though and it was agony to witness such a scene. He had already seen it once, he didn't need it again. Especially considering he didn't want to have to go through the same thing with the blonde seated to his right.

A soft hand on his arm broke him from whatever daydream he was under and he turns to see a concerned sea of blue clouding his vision. Lucy was there again to check he was alright. She was always there lately- for reassurance, for comfort. It was both a delight and an annoyance. He needed her, She made him happy, human even, and he was able to forget about everything for a brief period because she really didn't care about it all. On the other hand, the fact that she stuck around him was infuriating. She was endangering herself. He could just walk away from her but he knew that if he did, if he left her, even if he explained his actions, she would follow him. Why? Honestly he really didn't know. If he was in her shoes, he'd have been long gone by now. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. But. he admired her persistence.

"I'm fine. Just tired."

"Seriously?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what time you got here but I do know you fell asleep before midnight and now it's nearly twelve. That's got to be around ten or eleven hours of sleep Natsu. I'm sure even for your kind that's more than enough."

"I can sleep for days on end," He smirked, "Trying waking me when I'm like that and you'll understand why eleven hours is nothing to us." Lucy huffed, earning a chuckle from him, "Besides, when you've got all eternity left to walk the Earth you can afford a few extra hours of sleep." Lucy rolled her eyes at him but he was right. He had all the time in the world to spare as far as she knew. Who was she to tell him how to spend it?

"Alright Dracula-"

"I'm not-"

"-Go take a shower. If you think you're taking me to work smelling like that you can think again." Lucy playfully pats his shoulder as she pushes herself up from the couch. For a few weeks now he had become like her personal chauffeur and her colleagues had gotten used to seeing her being dropped off at the cafe in the sleek black vehicle. On a few occasions, mainly the very few night shifts she had done since returning to work, he had accompanied her inside, though he and Loke don't seem to get on too well. Oh well, can't please everyone right?

Thirty minutes later and he was finally finished in the shower. It was hypocritical of him to complain about her taking so long to get dressed everyday when he takes _that_ long knowing perfectly well that they had somewhere to be! Well, she had somewhere to be, he was taking her. But that wasn't the point! She would be late at this rate. "Natsu, hurry the fuck up! I'll be late!"

"Yeah yeah. I'll be there in a minute." He called back, seemingly annoyed. She had only handed him his clothes about ten minutes ago. Thankfully he had a drawer filled with them from the amount of time he had stayed here. It was getting to the point where he very rarely had to go back to his own apartment at all. All that was left to do was officially declare that he had moved in and he would never need to again. But she was never, _ever_ , going to do that. Sure having him around was nice, but she needed her space every now and then. Plus, he didn't actually live there. He was just always...around. There's a difference. But what was the point of having things over here for him if he took so long to do one, simple task! She would be better off just walking but he would probably chase after her again. He was the one who had offered to start driving her to work and the gesture was sweet, really, but she knew the real reason he had done it.

Around the time he had made the offer, news of attacks had begun to ripple through the city again. Apparently it was by the same guy as before according to the minimal amount of evidence that had been gathered, however this time they were more brutal. Victims had a very low chance of survival in comparison to before and whereas before there had only been about seven or eight in the space of a year, numbers had already reached beyond that and it had only been a few weeks. Natsu seemed to think that her attack at the hands of Bora was connected to those that were once again plaguing Magnolia and leaving its citizens in fear.

She'd realised that whilst there would always be that small part of her that was scared of what he was capable of, not to mention the obviously larger connection he had to the string of violence ravaging the city, she didn't care. Around her he was just a regular human and that was fine with her. The less she saw of his vampiristic nature the better. The part of her that was wary of him would always exist but other than that, she was perfectly fine with his presence.

"Alright alright, I'm here. Let's go." He exclaimed, hurrying to the door and slipping his jacket on.

"Took you long enough." Lucy giggled, ducking out of his reach as she scurried out of her apartment and away from him before he could catch her, laughing all the way down to the staircase at the end of the hall. See? It was moments like this, moments when she didn't have to think of his beastly nature, that she really didn't care what he was. As long as they could have fun, as long as they could have a somewhat normal friendship, she really didn't care. You only live once and how many people can say they have met an actually vampire in their life time? The new lease on life she had gotten recently made her realise that, no matter what Natsu was and no matter how long he was in her life for, she could never go back to being normal. So why not make the most of this while she could?

* * *

There was silence for the majority of the ride to Starry Heavens, of course that was until Natsu stupidly turned onto one of the busier roads cutting right through the city. Immediately they were caught in the morning work rush and every ounce of fun that they had been having before hand left them. Natsu groaned as he placed his head on the steering wheel, not wanting to stare at the stalled river of traffic ahead of him. "Tell me when it's gone. I don't want to look at it."

"You're the driver. You do it. I'm going to have to call Aquarius and tell her I'll be late."

"Good luck with that. I've only met your boss once and she's terrifying." Oh didn't she know it. But Aquarius was an old friend so she really couldn't complain. If it wasn't for her, she wouldn't have her job at all. Natsu seemed to drift in and out of reality as he lazily listened to Lucy's conversation with her boss. There was some shouting, some laughing and a long, drawn out silence on Lucy's end with the odd remark that seemed to be very off of the topic of work. He resisted the urge to groan. Of course this was how he was supposed to spend his time here. Normally he didn't mind Lucy talking with her friends, but that was when he was out of the room and didn't have to listen to it. Normally he would disappear into his own thoughts, but he didn't want to go there today. Not after the dreams he'd been having. Not if it meant...remembering. He didn't want to see her. Not anymore. He was finally moving on and those memories just had to have resurfaced. Why now? After so many years? It was unfair.

* * *

 _"Oh hurry up Natsu, you're so slow!" The girl giggled as she skipped on ahead of him. She knew perfectly well he wasn't actually slow and was in fact limiting his speed for her sake, but he still didn't want to admit that. Their trips to their secret hideout were the only thing that had kept him sane lately. Well, it was that and getting to see her smiling face everyday. "I'm not slow! You're just too fast."_

 _"Yeah right Natsu." She giggled again before she took off running, forcing him to speed up and follow her. The forest was a dangerous place to be alone, especially when you only human. She knew of the dangers hidden in the trees yet she always insisted on straying away from his protection. Why? Why was she so stubborn? His power wasn't a very good one, he was literally cursed, but he had three friends he could use it to protect and that was all he was determined to do. If only she would cooperate every once in a while and understand his worry. Maybe then it would be easier to protect them. "Hey wait, I'll lose you!"_

 _"Well speed up then! I know you can." She turned a corner on the path and he knew she was right. If he didn't speed up then he would actually lose her in the maze of trees that was this forest. But he only did it a little bit, refusing to tap into the full potential of his power. Why was she always trying to get him to use it? He didn't want to. Why couldn't she just understand that? He loved her, really, but it was so damn annoying when she tried to force him to use the abilities he so hated. She knew that yet she still continued to try._

 _Maybe she was trying to get him to accept himself. This was how he was always going to be now and there was no way to change that, but that didn't mean he liked the fact that he had been a reanimated, blood sucking corpse for the past two hundred years or so. And he hated the fact that she and her siblings had used their own magic so that he didn't have to suffer through it alone. It was sweet and he was grateful to them for doing that, but he didn't deserve it. Did he? "Hey Lisanna, come on, you've had your fun now. Come back." He reached the end of the turn and called out for her. Apparently he really had lost her. Even searching the air for her scent did nothing and he began to worry when his overly sensitive senses couldn't pick up any trace of her. They were one of his abilities that he couldn't turn off and, as annoying as it might be, it came in useful for situations like this._

 _"Lisanna!" He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted for her again, still desperately hoping his senses could pick something up. Anything. All he needed was a twig snapping, the sound of her breathing, maybe even briefly catching her scent in the wind. He needed something, something to know that she was still there. "Lisanna!" He cries more desperately now. The panic setting into his voice is clear now, maybe it's because he can feel the sinister turn the atmosphere has taken. It makes him worry even more. "Lisanna!"_

 _If his heart was still beating, it would have stopped then and there for the next sound he heard was enough to make anyone's blood run cold. A sickening scream rang through the air. It was Lisanna screaming for him. She was terrified and, for a brief second, his body just wouldn't move no matter how much he willed it to. Then suddenly, he took off at lighting speed to the direction he heard her in. But, it was too late._

* * *

"Hey Natsu?" Lucy finally speaks up again, breaking him from his trance. Was he asleep again? No, no he wasn't. Usually when he woke up his body felt paralysed for a few seconds afterwards. Normally he couldn't move it but this time he was able to. He hadn't been asleep then, he'd just been daydreaming...or was it remembering? Yes, remembering. That's what it was. He really hadn't wanted to remember that but apparently his brain had other ideas. Just great.

The traffic wasn't moving anywhere any time soon, they had to think of some way to pass the time. Might as well start by asking the one thing that had been on her mind since before they left the apartment. At the small nod of acknowledgement he gave, she continued, "Who's Lisanna?" He seemed to panic. She noticed the way his hands gripped tighter to the steering wheel, the way his knuckles were slowly whitening and how stiff his back had become. To add to that his eyes seemed to fill with surprise. He hadn't expected her to ask that, she was never even supposed to know that name. How had she found out? How?! He needed answers.

"How...how do you know that name?" Had he said something just then? Maybe he had and was too dazed to realise. Oh God. Oh God no! He was not ready to tell her this. _Please, please don't make me tell her. Not yet! Not now._

Lucy hesitated before she spoke. She really didn't want to upset him, "You were calling for her once or twice in the middle of the night. I don't even think you realise it but you talk in your sleep." _Oh no._

"Oh. Right. Yeah. I knew that." He didn't actually, though he had an idea he did anyway. Apparently he had yet another reason to avoid sleep around her, or anyone for that matter. Oh this was just wonderful.

"You also mentioned someone called Zer-"

"Ah finally we're moving!" He completely cut her off as the sea of cars began to slowly part. Whatever issue that had stopped them had finally been resolved, they were free to go now. "You were saying?"

"I...never mind. It doesn't matter.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Truthfully, he was glad she wasn't asking questions anymore. He knows he had said he would answer whatever question she had but she was going to ask about someone he had refused to acknowledge up until recently. Lisanna was an issue that Mira would surely be mad at him for speaking about, but she would forgive him eventually. But that other name, he refused to speak of to anyone. Lucy was not an exception to that. He had told her a lot lately but Zeref would not be an issue that he would reveal. That was his problem. And Lisanna was a painful subject. It wasn't just his secret to share. He had witnessed her death,mthat was something he had kept to himself all off this time, but he had no right to reveal anything to Lucy until Mira and Elfman were ready to speak about it. Besides, he was finally grieving for her. Properly this time. And now the threat of Ze- I mean 'he who shall not be named' taking Lucy away from him was becoming increasingly more likely. He wasn't ready to go through that again. Not yet. He couldn't protect Lisanna back then but he would make damn sure he protected Lucy now. She was his second chance.

His refusal to speak didn't stop Lucy thinking about it though. Who were they? Why were they so important? What had happened between the three of them? It was wrong to be so intrusive into these issues, they were obviously extremely personal, which was why she had stopped asking at the second opportunity she had. But she had thought about it for the rest of the ride to Starry Heavens, despite the friendly conversation Natsu had tried to keep up to avoid the topic, and all the way through her current shift. She couldn't help but think that she'd heard those names before, but where? Maybe during another one of Natsu's nightly outbursts. No, he said a lot during the night but he never cried out for anyone until now. Those names were so familiar yet she didn't know why and it was really beginning to frustrate her. _Think Lucy, think! Where, where, where...Come on! You have to remember them from somewhere!_

"Lucy?" Loke called out to her across the counter yet received no reply. She was ignoring her duties. Any other day he would have been fine with it but the fact that Aquarius was in the back room, ready to come and watch them any second, was frightening enough for him. "Oi!" Still nothing. He tried a few more times but to no avail until, finally, he threw his hands onto the counter in frustration and let a loud bang resonate through the cafe, "Lucy!" She was startled out of her thoughts, a look of pure innocence and confusion overtaking her features. But then she noticed Loke glaring at her from across the counter and her features straightened out into a frown, "Leo, what are you doing standing around like this? Get back to work."

"But-"

"Now." That hypocrite! There were other words he could call her but there were children seated at a few of the booths with their parents today and he was not ready to accept the blame for anything they may say afterwards (it totally had nothing to do with the fact that Aries was working today and whilst he loved her, he would not admit that he was absolutely terrified of her at times). Imagine what she would do to him if she heard him swear around these children. A shudder ran up his spine just thinking of it. "Leo!" Lucy snapped.

"I'm sweeping, I'm sweeping. See?!" He swept the floor in an exaggerated manner just to prove his point. The blonde rolled her eyes at his antics but ignored him nonetheless. She was more concerned about the fact that, for the past five minutes, she's felt someone staring at her. Well, she'd felt it since starting her shift but now it was more obvious. Someone was watching her and it unnerved her greatly. But who was it? Her eyes scanned the cafe until they landed on a familiar figure.

Her heart dropped. That hood...it had been months since they had last been in here. She had always been suspicious of them before but now, even with their eyes hidden thanks to their hood, she could tell they were staring at her, watching her for some unknown reason. It seemed like an eternity as she was locked in a battle of gazes with them, neither faltering, until the figure unexpectedly moved from their usual table and strode eerily slowly towards her. _Loke, Aquarius, ANYONE! Where you when I need you!_ She pleaded silently but her co workers had disappeared out of sight. No one seemed to notice what was going on. They were all just ignoring her.

"Lucy Heartfilia." The hooded figure spoke, finally, as they sat down on the stool across from her. Their voice was different though. Every other minimal interaction she had had with them, it had been a man she had spoke to. And no, she wasn't just assuming that. There had been very few instances when she was able to catch a brief glimpse of his face, but it had been so long that she couldn't remember what he looked like. This voice, on the other hand, was feminine. And how did they know her name? Her first name she could understand, but no one used her last name. No one knew it apart from Natsu. Everyone including her colleagues knew her as Lucy Ashley. She'd gone under an alias since arriving in Magnolia in an effort to distance herself from her father as much as possible. It had been over a year since he had passed but she was still not willing to change it back. So how did they know?

Their glare was hard and piercing as they lifted their head to face the waitress, "I need to ask you a few questions concerning your connection to one Mr Natsu Dragneel."

* * *

 _Somewhere else in Magnolia..._

"P-please stop! No! I-I'm sorry boss, I didn't mean-"

"Silence." A hand gripped the throat of the quivering man, hoisting him up into the air effortlessly. "What did I tell you? I give you one simple task and you couldn't even manage that! Pathetic."

"B-b-boss, it wasn't my fault." He choked, "She wasn't-"

"Stop your blubbering," The hand squeezed tighter, "I've heard it before. You say she wasn't alone but," The figure sneered, a ruthless glint in their eyes, "I don't care." The strangled man was thrown across the cobbles in the alleyway, gasping for breath, "Find her! Bring her to me and don't even think of coming back here until you have her, understood?" The man was choking on the ground. He attempted a glare up at the man he called his boss but was immediately met with a kick to the side, "Do you understand, or am I going to have to employ someone more capable?" He sneered.

"Un...understood." He choked.

"Good," A smirk crossed the boss' features. It wasn't happy, it was malicious and filled with an intent of unspeakable, pure evil, "Lucy Heartfilia, you days on this earth are numbered."


	15. Interrogation

**I'm baacck! (again) So, exams are over and although my official break doesn't start until Friday, I have decided to start catching up on my writing because I have left all of you wonderful people waiting long enough. I wasn't going to try and finish this chapter until the end of the month but I've had it half written up for weeks and I feel like it's been too long. Plus, there's some things in the story that I want to get to and I can't get to them before I post this one. I had _so much_ difficulty trying to publish this chapter. The first few times I uploaded the document to the site, it only uploaded half of it. Then my computer froze when it finally corrected. But, here we are. Finally! **

**Enjoy!**

 _ **cloudlucy:**_ **Thankyou! I know in the beginning it isn't necessarily the best but I have been working on it. I think it's getting better. And yes, yes there will be. Actually, in more upcoming parts of the story. You will see more of them! I promise!**

 _ **TabbyCat:**_ **Ur's daughter huh? Interesting theory. The hunters are coming into play very soon and as for the boss, although I think you and most other people have already worked it out because I am way too predictable, I will reveal them soon. And I appreciate the advice. I am feeling better, not 100% but with the massive stressful period out of the way I think I can get better. So thankyou!**

 _ **JustSomething:**_ **Nah, it was fine. Like I said, criticism is always appreciated. You had a genuine issue with the chapter and you voiced it, I'm trying to rectify it as best I can. Easy. If you were being petty and only being critical for the sake of it, well then we would have a problem. But you weren't so I really don't mind at all.**

* * *

 _Previously on: When Worlds Collide_

"Lucy Heartfilia," Their glare was hard and piercing as they lifted their head to face the waitress, "I need to ask you a few questions concerning your connection to one Mr Natsu Dragneel."

* * *

When someone approaches you, someone you don't know, your first instinct is to avoid them as much as possible. Don't make eye contact, make yourself look busy. Maybe if they see you're occupied with something else, they will leave you alone. But what if they don't? What then? If they look friendly then usually we give in and hear what they have to say. But if even the slightest tingle of suspicion runs through our body, we look for our nearest escape. We don't want to be tangled up in whatever they are and therefore we avoid it. For Lucy, there was no escape.

The hooded figure- the hooded woman I should say- had sat perfectly across from her at such an angle where she was blocking the only exit unless Lucy was willing to vault over the counter. She was intimidating and fierce, eventhough the hoody seemed to be twice her size and made her look extremely small. There was nothing small about her glare though or the stiff posture with which she sat. She meant business and she was not going to let Lucy leave. Not until she was finished with her.

"What...what do you want?" Lucy questionnned her slowly, gripping the pen in her pocket for dear life. It was a ball point, she could probably fight her way out of this it turned ugly. Maybe that was an overreaction but she couldn't be sure. Something about this woman terrified her.

"I told you," The woman stated with a stoic, emotionless tone to her words, "I work for an organisation who are very interested in...situations involving people like Mr Dragneel." _Hunters._ Natsu had briefly mentioned them a few times but Lucy never thought to question him further on it. He had told her he had a fairly rocky alliance with the hunters of Magnolia, but he had left them on bad terms last time and so they were probably baying for his blood. Did they know that she knew he was a vampire? How did they know she even knew him? Had...had they been watching her?

The thought of someone stalking her every move made her sick to her stomach, but how else would they know who she was? Maybe if they had questionned her when they first saw her with Natsu she wouldn't have been so frightened. But they knew her name, they had done their research and probably knew so much morre about her. In fact, they probably knew everything if they had been able to learn her last name. _It's fine Lucy. Grin and bare it. You've been hanging around with blood thirsty creatures of the undead, you can talk to one human being. Be brave!_

"And this concerns me how exactly?" Lucy tried to keep the most innocent expression sshe could on her face. She didn't want to give away anything that could lead them straight to Natsu. What if they were trying to kill him? She could never live with herself if she was the cause of his demise. The woman did not seem impressed at her facade and her glare only increased.

"Miss Heartfilia, this is a matter of public safety." She stated in the lowest tone she could muster as to not attract the attention of the other patrons around her, "Lives are at stake. Please, answer me truthfully. And I warn you, I will know when you are not being honest." Because that _totally_ wasn't a threat. The blonde nodded slowly, keeping her gaze locked on the hooded figure as she did so and placing her hands on the counter, the pen still firmly grasped between her fingers.

"Thankyou for complying," The woman nodded. She did not ask another question straight away, her attention became diverted as she began to focus on retrieving something from her pocket. Moments later, she was sliding a white slip of paper across the counter towards the waitress. "You may refer to me as Agent Knightwalker," She began again as Lucy picked up the card. Her eyes scanned over the details, it was simple yet got the message across quite easily. On the bottom was a phone number along with Knightwalker's code name. Well, Lucy was assuming it was a code name. It was highly unlikely that a member of an extremely secret organisation, that had to remain that way to stop the Magnolian citizens from discovering the horrifying truth of their world, would give out their full name.

" _ **Edolas..."**_ Lucy read out as she studied the card. She assumed that was the name of the organisation. Again, it was a name that sounded so familiar to her but she really couldn't figure out why. Why did she recognise these things but could not remember where, why or how? "That's correct," Knightwalker spoke again, startling her, "We work in secret, as you know, but those who are aware of our existence need a way of contacting should they ever find themselves in situations involving...those creatures."

"Vampires." Lucy wasn't a child, she didn't need these things to be sugar coated for her, "You can say it. I know what they are, I know they exist. Please don't treat me like a child." The new wave of confidence that had brushed over her was only temporary. It had only come about due to her sudden urge to protect her newfound friends at Fairy Tail, to protect Natsu from this woman. The agent hadn't revealed any obvious ulterior motives for her visit, though that probably came from years of training, but Lucy wouldn't put it past her.

"Alright, fine, call that number if you ever find yourself in danger involving _vampires."_ Knightwalker had taken to glaring at Lucy, but there was the slightest hint of amusement gracing her features. What part of this was funny to her? Was she not taking Lucy seriously? "Now, down to business Miss Heartfilia-"

"Call me Lucy."

"Lucy, tell me, what _exactly_ is the nature of your relationship with Mr Dragneel? Why are you, a mere human, so important to him?"

"I...I really don't know." Lucy tried to formulate an excuse, a reason, but she could not find the words. This woman was pushing her. She wanted to know something and Lucy worried she had already let it slip without meaning to. She worried she had endangered their whole race as she stared at Knightwalker's crushing glare. Every part of her seemed to tense the longer they stayed locked in their visual battle and her mind was telling her that was exactly what Natsu had warned her about. Knightwalker looked ready to say something else but she stopped herself when the woman noticed a suspicious Leo walking slowly towards them, Virgo and Taurus also poking their heads into the room from in the kitchen to watch the scene unfold.

"Everything okay here?" Leo questioned the women, moving to stand protectively in front of Lucy. The Edolas agent simply gave him a tight smile before slipping off her stool and nodding in the blonde's direction.

"Of course it is." Knightwalker paused. There was something in her gaze that told Lucy this wasn't over yet but for now, she was just glad to be rid of the woman, "We'll have to do this again sometime Lucy, preferably when you're not working. I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything!" And she left, keeping up her façade of being Lucy's long time friend. Leo didn't seem convinced though and refused to leave Lucy's side until they saw the redhead getting into her car outside.

"You OK?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Lucy tried to reassure him but he didn't believe her attempts. Still, he Disney question her further and left her to her work, occasionally stealing glances over every now and then. To him and the rest of her coworkers, she'd been very jumpy lately. They didn't like the fact that she seemed to be hiding something from them but it was none of their business no matter how much they wanted to know, so they didn't ask her.

Of course, Lucy wasn't actually fine. See you later. Those words were ringing in Lucy's ears. Because that wasn't just a promise, it was a threat. This wasn't going to be the last time she dealt with these hunters and honestly, that was something that terrified her more that thought of walking into a vampire's nest at that moment.

Just what had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Those thoughts didn't leave her for the rest of the day. They tormented her, chipped away at her mentality and began to once again make her question just what the hell kind of trouble she'd let Natsu drag her into. And if what Knightwalker said was true, there was so much more that he was hiding from her now. It was possible that she was in more danger than she realised but she would never know until she asked him.

She'd tried to speak to him. Every break she'd had to had been spent trying to contact him but her efforts had so far been fruitless. He wasn't working today, as far as she knew, so the only other conclusion she could draw was that he had gone back to sleep. He had told her that he could sleep for days anyway. Maybe that's what he was doing now and that's why he hadn't been there to pick her up today. But just to make sure, she'd braved going around the back of the apartments by herself to check the car park. His car was still there and he hardly ever left the building without it if the sun was out, so he must still be inside the building. That relieved her a bit to know that he was there of anyone were to come after her. Still though...she had to be sure. She wanted to ask him how he knew Knightwalker because she would never be alright with that woman unless someone reassured her she was okay. And if she knew so much about Natsu, he must have spoken to her at some point right?

But she would wait for him to come to her. She was tired and he most likely was as well after the nightmares he had been suffering from, of which she could only imagine the horrors he sees every time he closes his eyes. She knows all too well the fear of falling asleep but, thankfully by some miracle, she hadn't had her nightmares in weeks. Ever since….

A sharp knocking at her front door knocked her from her thoughts. Wait, when had she gotten back home? She didn't remember walking through her front door, but maybe she just wasn't concentrating. The knock sounded again, this time hitting the wood in a more brutal fashion that seemed to shake the frame. Lucy froze. Something told her that she shouldn't open that door; that greeting the person on the other side was a mistake. They knocked for a third time before she heard the frightening hiss of the creature, followed by a heavy object slamming into the pine wood. They were kicking her door down! Her mind went blank, with the only thought being that she had to hide somewhere. Anywhere. But where? Another kick, harder this time. In a few moments they would have broken through and Lucy would be completely unguarded. Come on come on, think!

Suddenly she heard the sickening sound of the splintering wood coming loose from the first hinge and she didn't think twice before diving behind her writing desk. It had a little cupboard hidden underneath it and for once she was thankful for her smaller frame as she was able to just squeeze through it, albeit with some difficulty. But she couldn't complain. If it kept her safe, that was all that mattered.

Or so she thought until she heard the wood finally give way. The door came flying from its hinges and crashed against the floor of her sitting room. Lucy had to swallow the whimper rising in her throat. Suddenly she remembers her phone still safely in her pocket and is thankful that for once she didn't leave it in her bag.

The space in the cupboard was cramped, and through the slight gap at the bottom of it she could see the person's shadow slowly make their way through her apartment. She waited for them to pass by her desk before she even attempted to slip the device out of her back pocket and even that was a struggle considering her confined space. But she succeeded non the less.

In her struggle, she hadn't noticed the figure come to a stop outside of her desk.

She was dragged out of the cupboard before she could even scream and came face to face with the sickening smile of her captor. "Well well well, the boss'll be happy about this little find." He covered Lucy's mouth with his frighteningly large, clawed hand.

"Mmmpfh!"

"Sorry? Didn't catch that sweetheart. Speak up." He smirked darkly, earning a glare from Lucy.

"Mmmpfh!"

The man laughed again before a sudden burst of pain shot through his hand and groin at the same time, "Gah! You little bitch" Lucy had bit him, taken the slight loosening of his grip to also kick him and force him to release her. After that, she scrambled towards her front door. But she didn't get there in time before she felt him grabbing her ankle and pulling her back, all while Lucy was screaming and pleading with him.

"Please! P-please don't hurt me! Som-s-someone! Anyone! Help m-"

"Oh shut up." He covered her mouth again, mush to the blonde's protests. She was crying now and desperately struggling against his grip but her efforts were futile. He was too strong for her too fight, too evil for her to even hope to bargain with. Her only hope now was the belief that, any minute now, her pink haired knight woul come barrelling through the open doorway and save her.

Any second now.

Come on.

 _Please!_

"He ain't coming darling." The man sneered. His next words made her heart sink in fear. "I already took care of him." And just like that, she felt her last shreds of hope disintegrate. He wasn't coming. He wouldn't save her. Not this time. No one would. She was completely and utterly alone, defenceless and at this beasts mercy. She felt the man's other hand wrap around her neck and slowly begin to tighten, restricting her airway and leaving her desperately hanging onto the few last precious morsels of oxygen she still had...until she finally felt her lungs empty and her vision began to cloud.

This felt familiar. As if she had been through this ordeal before. The only difference this time was that she was perfectly awake unlike when Bora tried to take her away, and she didn't have anyone coming to save her. She was completely and utterly alone. Terrified.

 _Please. Someone. Help me!_

* * *

 _ **Earlier that day...**_

He knew he shouldn't have left her there, not at least without warning her first anyway. But he had and now she was surely paying the price. Oh he could only imagine the type of torture that she demon was exacting on poor Lucy at this moment, but he wouldn't be able to stop it.

He'd sensed her scent when he pulled up outside of the cafe to drop Lucy off. It was unmistakable and something he was very keenly aware of after having spent so much time around it. But at the time he'd brushed it off, trying to tell himself that the only reason that vile woman's scent was still lingering was probably because she had passed by here on a late night hunt. Yeah, yeah that was the reason he could still smell her presence. Nothing else. He wasn't sending Lucy into the lion's den completely defenceless because there was no lion to face...was there? He didn't know and in that moment of Lucy saying goodbye and exiting the vehicle, he had resisted the urge to pull her back in and just drive her back to safety where no one would dare harm her.

But instead, when she had gotten out, all he did was smile and wish her goodbye, mentally berating himself for it. Surely she would call him if something happened; he'd given her his number for that reason...well, that and the fact that he really liked talking to her. No, no it was just for emergencies. _Stop overthinking this you idiot!_

His drive home was slower than usual as he had stopped by at every single one of the Edolas agents' secret hiding places around the area, just to make sure there was no one waiting to ambush his blonde companion. He even stopped by the forest and, after parking his car away in some secluded area out of sight from anyone who may have followed him, pulled his hood and scarf up to his face in preparations for fighting the sun. It wasn't like he wanted to do this but he had to make sure it was still there, that he wasn't going crazy and that there was only one name on it.

On the tombstone he had personally erected at the place he had first found her. She was buried in the proper cemetery, as per the requests of her siblings, but he never dared to show them where exactly he had found her bloodied, battered body in the forest. He'd suggested it but they didn't want to and never asked him about it again after her funeral. If anything, this "tombstone" served as his reminder of her, his reminder that he hadn't protected her and the same thing that gave him the motivation to protect Lucy. But now he worried that he had failed in that as well. At least she had her colleagues with her and eventhough he hated a few of them, he knew they would protect her should anything happen to her. But Knightwalker wouldn't harm an innocent citizen...right?

"Oh Lisanna, what am I going to do?" He sighed, placing a hand on the rock surface. She wasn't there with him, hell she wasn't even alive, but he knew that, he just wanted to feel like there was someone out there who he could talk to about it. He didn't want to think of what would happen if he lost yet another one of his...friends. After a while of just talking randomly to the stone, venting his worries to thin air and ultimately feeling relieved after it all, he left. He couldn't talk to others like everyone else could, not even Lucy, but this was his way of letting go of all of the dark thoughts swirling through his mind. There was no one here to judge him, to criticise him. To make him feel weak. He was completely alone with nothing but the stone and the forest surrounding him. It was peaceful an here, here he actually felt safe in a way. As if, for even a second, all the trouble he had found himself lately could just be forgotten about.

Magnolia was dead when he drove back into town and that was lucky for him considering he didn't think he was in the right mood to deal with even more traffic. He had about an hour or two before he had to go and pick up Lucy from work. Plenty of time to just relax a bit and clear his head. Or so he thought.

He hadn't even gotten into the car park before something felt...off. As if he was being followed. But he hadn't caught anyone's scent yet or saw a glimpse of them with his impressive vision. Still, the thoughts didn't leave him even as he was exiting the vehicle. He had gone into defensive mode, ready to fight off anyone who may dare to attack him. But not even he was prepared for what happened.

Two hands wrapped around his face and began to drag him deep into the shadows of the forest. He fought and protested, desperately struggling against their grip but it was like his attacker was able to easily match his strength as he was dragged further and further into the trees surrounding the long forgotten area. Further and further, deeper and deeper until, finally, they stop. And he is brought face to face with the last person he would have wanted to see.

"Should have known it was you." He sneers, being met with a chuckle from the other individual.

"It's been a while, Natsu."


	16. NOT AN UPDATE

**Hello!**

Hi! Look, it's been a while. I'm very aware and I am _really_ sorry. I got a new PC and just...I lost EVERYTHING. Nothing worked on any of the flash drives I used, or any of my back upped files. NOTHING. GONE.

So, I've been trying to recover them and I'm sort of half way(?) there. I'm not _entirely_ sure _**BUT**_ I 'm not letting that get me down. I'm back on fanfic, I will be back posting eventually (hopefully before the end of the year) and I'm back writing again so there may be some more things showing up in the next few weeks. So don't fret! And if, for some reason, you're still around and interested in this story, I haven't forgotten!

Thankyou to all those still bothering with this and thankyou for being patient with me. I will be back!

Sorry (again)!


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